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The International Business Development Internship
Leadership Initiatives is working to end extreme poverty in Northern Nigeria through entrepreneurship and innovation. As part of the International Business & Development Program, Leadership Initiatives identifies small business owners who live under $1.90 a day, have little formal business education, and are struggling to provide for their family’s basic needs.
Once business owners have completed training, Leadership Initiatives pairs International Business & Development Interns with a business partner and business mentor. Interns are given the opportunity to help tackle major issues at the grassroots level by working directly with small business owners to support and incubate local entrepreneurs. Students will work with Leadership Initiatives staff over the course of nine months to provide income-generating solutions that focus on food supply, women empowerment, environment and sustainability, personal care, and mobility.
The International Business & Development Internship aims to introduce interns to the complexities and challenges of running a small business and working within community development. Interns will gain an understanding of the unwavering commitment, focus, and determination required to work within this field. From working with interns, local business owners will have new knowledge of entrepreneurial skills they need to create business opportunities that will contribute to socio-economic development and significantly transform their lives.
Our Internship Team
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Anishka Banerjee
Lynbrook High School
Class of 2023
Anishka Banerjee is a senior at Lynbrook High School. She is a dedicated student who is enrolled in various Advanced Placement courses and active member of various organizations inside and outside of school.
Anishka has been playing tennis recreationally and competitively for nearly decade, and currently represents her school on the girl's varsity team. Anishka is also involved with two school councils, the Economics club, and the TED-Ed club on campus. Since her freshman year, Anishka has served on the executive board of the Youth Economics Initiative, a registered student-run nonprofit that provides students around the world pathways to careers in economics, business, and finance. She also volunteers with the Jewish Big Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles, providing emotional support to users of the Teen Talk app. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog and watching films with her family.
Anishka is very excited to join Leadership Initiatives' International Business and Development Internship and looks forward to working with her team to solve real-world issues. Anishka wants to use the experience and skills she gains here in the future, as she plans to study economics in college.
Vineeta Muvvala
Lynbrook High School
Class of 2023
Vineeta Muvvala is a rising senior at Lynbrook High School, California. Vineeta is part of many clubs on her campus and is president of Intersections, a social justice club, and a state officer in DECA, a competitive business club. In her free time, Vineeta enjoys biking to local restaurants, trying new trader joes snacks, and digital art.
In the future, Vineeta will continue exploring social entrepreneurship. By participating in the LI business program, Vineeta hopes to gain new business skills while making an impact in Nigeria!
Shreya Jain
Evergreen Valley High School
Class of 2023
Shreya Jain is currently a senior attending Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, California, and is a hardworking student who is very excited to be a part of the International Business and Development Program!
Shreya recently moved to Evergreen Valley High School at the beginning of the year and is a part of multiple Advanced Placement courses as well as many extracurriculars both inside and outside of her school. In her free time, she loves to read and go on walks with her family.
Shreya is really excited and thankful to be a part of the International Business and Development Program and is looking forward to being able to use the skills that she learns in order to help people both inside and outside of the program!
Our Business Partner
Comfort Titus
Business Statistics
Comfort Titus
About Comfort
Comfort enjoys connecting with new people through her work. She values both a strong community and her own independence tremendously.
Comfort named her business "C4 Special and Beauty Salon" - the C4 is a play on words! The "c" is for the "c" in Comfort and the "4" denotes the "fort" sound of the rest of her name.
Comfort Titus
Community Impact
Comfort's business helps her pay her bills, send money back home to her parents, and pays the school fees of one of her siblings.
Comfort Titus
Our Partnership
Comfort plans to expand her business so that she has a separate shop for selling attachments, weaves and other hair and beauty accessories in addition to the salon.
We look forward to helping promote her business. We aim to collaborate on advertising materials to increase her customer base, financial tracking systems, and implementing her plans for the future, including extending spa services and creating a training academy for her apprentices that will promote trade education.
Our Approach
FINANCIAL TRACKING
Financially literate entrepreneurs make growth-oriented financial and economic decisions for their savings, borrowing, and investments. Our team is working with Isiyaka Sa’ad to create an effective financial tracking system for his business finances, receipts, and daily costs.
OUR ADVERTISING
Our team identified target markets and key demographics to create a customer acquisition plan. We are working with Isiyaka Sa’ad to redesign his brand and create effective marketing campaigns.
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENTS
Steady growth is a critical component of creating self-sustaining communities. Our team is working to identify key areas of opportunity for Isiyaka Sa’ad and design solutions with grant money to improve his business to foster growth.
Our Fundraising
$339 RAISED
$411 NEEDED
$750 GOAL
Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced some of the highest growth rates globally over the past 10 years. While this means that people in these nations have become more optimistic about their social and economic future, the region continues to face a myriad of historical problems. In order to continue steady growth and achieve a future of equitable conditions in the region, our International Internship Program team seeks to build stronger communities from the grassroots level through fundraising for community development.
Funds raised are used to implement community-based education programs, pay staff to run the operations on-site, and invest in training for local leaders. Leadership Initiatives uses fundraised money to develop a network of support for actionable change and accountability between our team, the Leadership Initiatives staff, and the community stakeholders we work with.
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