Telecommunication
Company Tigo Rwanda has
launched a social entrepreneurship initiative dubbed 'Tigo Reach for change'
initiative to help local social entrepreneurs develop their ideas into viable
projects to help improve lives of Rwandan youth and children.
This
initiative by Tigo in partnership with Reach for Change, a non-profit
organization, will see two winning entrepreneurs receive
a gross annual salary of USD25, 000 (approximately Rwf15 million) for a period
of three years.
It is
expected that at the end of three years the entrepreneur will have been able to
develop their business idea to sustainability. According to Tigo Rwanda CEO Diego Camberros , most often people have good business ideas that
can impact on others' lives but don't have the required resources and support
to develop them.
"This
is what we are seeking to address. We shall give them a salary that can sustain
them while they concentrate at developing their business idea into viable
projects," he said.
During the three year period that the social entrepreneur will be receiving the
Tigo salary, their business idea will be undergoing scrutiny, evaluation and
incubation in order to ensure that they attain required standards.
Throughout
the incubation period, the entrepreneur will be a Tigo employee who receives a
salary to ensure that he or she concentrates on starting his business project. Camberro
believes that a single person who is supported and facilitated by his or her
community would make an impact on the entire society.
Rwanda
becomes the first African country to launch this initiative in places where
Tigo operates. The head of corporate Social responsibility activities for all
Tigo operations Nina-Claudia Ndabaneza says that it is
due to good business climate that Rwanda offers and the structure of the
Rwandan society.
"Rwanda
is very conducive to business and we believe that this inventiveness will bring
the best results," said
Ndabaneza at the launch in Kigali. The Tigo Reach for Change initiative is now
open to the public to hand in their applications. Applicants can take their
applications to Tigo Service Centres or through the Tigo website www.tigo.co.rw.
News of
Rwanda