AGILE International and Djimi Djama collaboration goes from Model to Execution
Greeting dear, friends.
First, we hope that you and your families are well and safe!
An African proverb says “When two goats fight, the winner is likely to be the one with its back against the wall” In other words, Support Matters! Thank you for having our back!!
Thanks to you, we report on three of our major achievements.
Achievement #1
The Collaboration between AGILE International and Djimi Djama has begun.
Moving from model to execution is something that large businesses struggle with let alone a tiny startup. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that AGILE International and Djimi Djama have embarked on their collaboration journey.
As a reminder, while AGILE International's overall goal is to create a prosperous, equitable, sustainable local community, none of that is possible without access to the local and global markets. DJIMI DJAMA (pronounced Jimi Jama) that we founded roughly one and a half years ago, has the mission to advance AGILE International's goals and to connect authentic African goods to the local and global markets in one online shopping experience. Besides, the revenue generated by Djimi Djama will help fund AGILE International's core programs such as education, food security, capacity building, women empowerment and inclusion, research, and innovation, entrepreneurial skill development, jobs creations, and many more.
Collaboration in action: The success story of Awa and her mother Alima!
Awa and Alima both based in Mali, are two of our many successful and ongoing stories. Married with six kids, one boy, and 5 girls, Alima has never been to school. The income she and her husband earned wasn’t enough to support her or her children. The entire family was at risk and was suffering. We accepted Alima’s daughter Awa in our AGILE-International's women empowerment program. Awa had dropped out of school to be married but was divorced shortly after. AGILE International trained Awa to go meet other girls in similar situations, to brainstorm about causes leading to school dropouts to possible solutions for those problems, and to suggest new opportunities appropriate for the community. The training got Awa thinking differently and interested in education, product sourcing, handbag design, color stabilization, quality control, and sales.
Djimi Djama hired Awa as an independent contractor to traveled to neighboring countries of Mali such as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Senegal to source diverse ethnic textile for manufacturing of Djimi Djama handbags sold in art fairs, home parties, and trade shows. The income Awa earned at Djimi Djama complemented her mother, Alima’s income. Alima who was not involved with AGILE International or Djimi Djama focused on selling Mali’s local grain called “Fonio”. Alima would steam the Fonio to make a popular dish called Diouka (looks like couscous), and sell it on a busy street corner. Awa navigated between product sourcing, handbag making activities, and helping her mother make diouka for sale. In the meantime, in America, I developed the Djimi Djama marketplace and salesforce.
Awa learned to work for Djimi Djama and to assist her mother alternatively. She inspired three of her sisters to join Alima to make and sell diouka. After Alima's years of consistent effort of selling Diouka, and the addition of more workforce, the diouka business gained a bigger client base, created three sales sites, employed at least 10 people, used at least 200 pounds of Fonio a day, and earned a gross income of at least $700 DAILY. But we faced a problem!
Achievement #2
With no background in managing money, Alima had no bank account or control over the money that came in or went out. AGILE International just accepted Alima in its Street Business Innovation program, a branch of AGILE's entrepreneurial skill development. This program would help Alima and her family organize, improve, and manage her business process. This was where our achievement #2, the Street Business Innovation kicked in.
As you see, Awa and Alima are an example of AGILE-International and Djimi Djama's successful collaboration. While AGILE International provides skill development, capacity building, and food production, Djimi Djama provides access to the market and funding.
Achievement #3
The other part of Djimi Djama's mission to connect African products to the local and global market went live in October 2020 online at https://djimidjama.com.
This is being rolled out in three phases.
Phase #1 The markets in North America (Canada, USA, and Mexico). This is now until the end of 2021.
Phase #2 Africa Engaging Africa will begin in January 2022 and goes to December 2022.
Phase #3 begins in January 2023. Djimi Djama will serve globally.
TESTIMONIAL
"It’s great to see how these two entities now each has clearly defined purposes and missions, yet are connected to one another at the core.
Good work!!”
-Anne Elgerd
Collective Capital Philanthropy
THE TWO WELLS!!
This incredible project will become a bigger dream project with your generous support! Whatever you can do! Shop with us at https://djimidjama.com, donate, get involved by volunteering with us, share our information with others, send us feedback, comment! We need these wells more and more every day that goes by.
With these wells, the village women will continuously produce exactly what Alima needs to make and sell her diouka. What a WIN-WIN for the women in Mali! Even more exciting is that the model is replicable.
We look forward to reporting to you in three months!
Happy and safe holiday season!
Warm regards,
Fatou and AGILE-Internationa/Djimi Djama Team
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