We work with small to medium size enterprises
We offer our support to businesses who we see have the drive and the ambition to grow paired with the passionate to make a difference to their community
We support enterprises by
“Entrepreneurs tend to venture into a lot of businesses at one time, businesses need to learn to build a solid basket before they attempt to put eggs into it. SMEs look to survive on a day to day basis, your (volunteers) work is very important in giving an insight into how businesses can move beyond survival and have real economic impact through creating employment and income for those in the wider community.”
Arthur Sserwanga – Vice Chancellor at Muteesa University
Every team supports a different business. Challenges volunteers work with a wide variety of established businesses such as:
Banana Wine
The production of banana wine started in response to an over supply of matooke (cooking bananas) in Uganda. Now sellers get a fair price for previously wasted matooke, improving their families’ income and standard of living. The volunteer team Millie and Amon were able to implement and train the business in the use of a financial management system and recommend important cost saving measures.
Nutritious Cereals
For the last seven years this business has been developing a delicious mixture of grains to produce cereal. These cereals provide the nutrients necessary in the diet of young children. Before ICS the business struggled to see if they were making a profit. Working with the business owner, volunteer pair Dami and Ernest (pictured), were able to limit this uncertainty by updating their bookkeeping and website and by creating a marketing plan.
Probiotic Yoghurt
This business has developed a healthy and affordable product with a particular focus on increasing the overall dairy intake amongst Ghanaians and to provide children with the vital nutrients that will ensure they can reach their full growth potential. Volunteers Liam and Collins were able to use their knowledge to design a social media strategy and marketing plan.
Challenges Worldwide aims to support the development of fair and inclusive local economies, helping to alleviate poverty in low and middle income countries. We do this through working with growth enterprises.
We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to enter into our enterprise development environment where we aim to support you to grow your enterprises over the coming years. We are excited to offer your enterprise access to a number of exciting opportunities including advisory support, and access to finance & trade linkages, for example we offer the following opportunities:
Support
Gain access to junior volunteer teams who can support you to analyse current operations, providing short term recommendations; Access remote support from Senior Business Professional; Unlock on the ground mentor support to support you and your team in growth; Access specialist consultants across multi-disciplines relevant to your operations.
Finance
Apply for up to £5,000 grant Investment into your Enterprise; Engage with debt providers for sums above £5,000; Become Investment ready; Be introduced to Impact Investors looking to invest between £100,000 – £1,000,000, typically in equity, into your
Trade
Unlock access to our national and international trade partners across multiple markets relevant to your
These opportunities can only be unlocked by signing up to Challenges Marketplace, a safe and secure reporting platform that enterprises can use to document key successes, track growth, and demonstrate impact. You must commit to reporting monthly, which allows you to access on-going support described above. All information is completely confidential – however you have the opportunity to share it with potential partners if you wish in your quest for growth.
As a first step we offer enterprises the opportunity to work with two Business Support Associate volunteers for 11 weeks.
These volunteers are provided with training, access to a wide range of analysis and business tools, and experienced mentor support. They will work to support your enterprise to strengthen and grow – and to start tracking on Challenges Marketplace. This is done through a structured programme:
Analysis
In the first few weeks in business, volunteers will analyse your enterprise and the market/s it operates within. This is done through professionally recognised tools made available to the volunteers. These tools help them identify areas within the enterprise where improvements could be made. It allows them to create recommendations for the future, and uncover potential new
Short-Term Recommendations
Having undertaken a thorough analysis of the enterprise, short-term recommendations are identified. These help to grow and improve the enterprise. Any recommendations made will be supported by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs help to track the impact of the recommendations on Marketplace.
Implementation and Strategic Plan
Volunteers will support you to implement recommendations that have been identified. Where appropriate, the analysis also feeds into a longer-term business plan.
To support the enterprise’s on-going development volunteers will also help to create accounts on Challenges College and Challenges Marketplace.
Challenges College
Challenges Worldwide’s online learning environment, and will allow the enterprise access to a wide range of support and resources, as well as providing a ‘data room’ for Challenges Marketplace.
Challenges Marketplace
A safe and secure online reporting platform that enterprises can use to document key successes, track growth on a monthly basis and demonstrate impact. Reporting monthly allows enterprises to access on-going support from expert mentors, through creating trade links, and through potential access to financing opportunities. All information is completely confidential.
The objectives are consistent with Challenges Worldwide’s aim of delivering meaningful and sustainable business improvement, at the same time as providing practical learning opportunities for the volunteers involved with the project.
Work carried out by the volunteers is quality checked by senior mentors online, who have a minimum of ten years’ business experience. Each enterprise is welcome to guide the volunteers to perform analysis and provide recommendations that are most relevant to their strategic aims.
Apply for business support
If you are a business from
GHANA, UGANDA or ZAMBIA
you can apply below
Updates from our Enterprises
Growing SMEs and Young People, Together
We know the statistics – worldwide more than 1 billion young people will enter the job market between now and 2030, 600 million jobs are needed globally over 15 years to keep current employment rate, 71 million young people are unemployed globally, the youth population in Africa will double to over 830 million by 2050, […]
Products from Challenges enterprises in Ghana
Since 2014, Challenges Worldwide has provided over 80 days of onsite support to 120 enterprises in Ghana alone. Here are just a few of the products from some of the enterprises we are continuing to engage with as they grow. It is our long-term aim to connect these and future enterprises to quality opportunities for […]
Recyclemania: One Man and His Green Dream By Patrick Jones
Recyclemania is tackling waste management with an enterprising solution in the Zambian capital of Lusaka where nearly all waste currently goes to landfill. Meet Harrison Musonda, a man of grand ambitions. ‘A Zambian solution to a Zambian problem’ is his motto. Through founding the sustainable social enterprise that is Recyclemania, Harrison is tackling an embedded […]