Our work with VSO ICS

Grace, Goodluck and Neil from VSO ICS have been working with an Income Generating Activity (IGA) at St Joseph’s Church in Mabatini. The youth have formed a group of 50 people who produce and sell high-quality Masai sandals. Masai sandals originate from the Arusha region, but there is a lack of high-quality and affordable sandals in Mwanza. To solve this unmet need, St Joseph’s Church have enlisted their skilled designers, tailors and craftsmen to bring the Masai style to the markets of Mwanza.

This is a fantastic example of a community that can benefit from collaborating with VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas) and T-LED (Tanzanian Local Enterprise Development). To achieve their aims of improving livelihoods and reducing poverty, the ICS volunteers have been helping collectives like these to form a business plan. These help to transform ideas between a few friends into concrete businesses which generate income for the community.

When they first met the group, Grace, Goodluck and Neil realised that the creative energies and talents could be focused in a more productive and sustainable way. Hence, they helped them create a business plan which focused on a broad roster of analyses and workshops. To capture the big picture, they focused on topics such as the industry overview and the competitive analysis, whilst diving into tangible, day-to-day details through topics like the operational and financial plans.

By the end of the placement, attention is moved away from learning theory and techniques to direct application and action. They have helped to create a concrete, granular plan of how to manage the business with a strategy to ramp up production and sales. Overall, this business could provide a valuable source of income, upskilling and youth employment in this striving Tanzanian community.