Building Entrepreneurship and Confidence in Tanzania
CA Kevin Flynn with NAIOTH and the women of Mama Loves Soap. NAIOTH is a Tanzanian NGO Foundation supporting women and children from various communities through childcare and job training. Photo By: Kevin Flynn
Written by: Abigail Elizabeth Mani
In the busy streets of Arusha, Tanzania, under the towering Mount Meru, the women of Mama Loves Soap from the Naioth International Foundation (NAIOTH) are setting up their stalls, ready for a day of selling colourful yellow and pink soap. The women are single mothers that came together to produce and sell soap to support themselves and their families.
NAIOTH is a Tanzanian NGO Foundation supporting women and children from various communities through childcare and job training. Mama Loves Soap is NAIOTH’s business program that empowers women to learn soapmaking, selling, and distribution. NAIOTH has previously done assignments with Catalyste+ to create and maintain a soapmaking process, and now wanted to elevate their marketing strategy.
“The training was very excellent, and we are filled with positive responses because the women are very happy… the facilitator was very impressive…we are impressed and we really enjoyed the training,” said Veneranda Mtobesya, Executive Director at NAIOTH.
Through a three-week in-person assignment, Catalyste+ Advisor (CA) Kevin Flynn immersed himself in the NAIOTH community, learning all the details about the soapmaking, the current sales and marketing tactics, and understanding the people behind the soap to create a new marketing action plan to further their success.
Photo by: Kevin Flynn
Kevin met with Veneranda and the team multiple times throughout the assignment to gather information and the foundation for a catered marketing action plan. Through this process, training was provided for high-standard soap production, sales, and distribution, and building entrepreneurial confidence.
“One lady towards the end came up to me and she said ‘I have so much more hope now than before you came’…[but] it wasn’t so much me, but the work that we all did together…she could see her way out of that stress,” said Kevin.
In addition to the marketing action plan, a new sales territory method was established to provide added leadership opportunities. This involved splitting Arusha, Tanzania into different zones and assigning each one to a different group of women. By being responsible for a zone, the groups hone their leadership skills and increase their responsibility. This new strategy and the training allowed NAIOTH to sell larger volumes of soap, provided opportunities for expansion, and encouraged more community members to join NAIOTH.
Photo by: Kevin Flynn
During the assignment, participants encountered many challenges, but Kevin and Veneranda worked together to design solutions. For example, the five-hour work days became three so the mothers could work their other jobs. NAIOTH also offers a daycare where participants can drop off their children and go to work.
“The women are able to work with courage and self-confidence in the community [as a result of the training],” said Veneranda.
The NAIOTH foundation has completed six assignments with Catalyste+ overall. In September 2021, NAIOTH received their soap-making training with CA Bryan Marshman. This assignment created the foundation for Kevin’s marketing training. NAIOTH had also received a micro-grant that allowed them to obtain containers and raw materials to start their soap-making program. The women are now focused on expanding their soap product lines and continuing the Mama Loves Soap’s success.
Photo by: NAIOTH Foundation
“One person can make a difference for a lot of people…You can have an impact far beyond what you think you’re capable of, it’s the ripple effect of what Catalyste+ does…[the assignment] allows you to go out to physically and mentally change other people’s lives for the better using your own life experience,” said Kevin.
