Helping the Community with Flowerpots, Tanzania

Hussein and Mohamed are two inspirational Tanzanian students from different families who are putting the entrepreneurship skills they acquired from the Leadership and Entrepreneurship Incubator (LEI) Program to action. They have started a durable flowerpot designing business. Their efforts have inspired other students to learn skills that have the potential to become a source of income and solve problems within their communities. 

Both Form Four students at Secondary School, have been participating in LEI since their school joined the program in 2021. LEI opened their minds to starting an Income Generating Activity (IGA). Upon completing ECE Level 1 High School Training of Teachers (TOT), they joined forces after discovering their mutual idea of designing flowerpots. LEI taught them the advantages of collaborative teamwork and the benefits of learning from each other to become more innovative, competitive and profitable. The idea of making durable cement flowerpots came to them when they saw that people in their community purchase baskets to plant their flowers. They have high aspirations of becoming extraordinary innovators of new techniques for making their flowerpots.

Asante Africa Foundation provided them with starting capital to buy supplies like cement, which they mix with water and sand to make their flowerpots. They continue to raise funds to sustain their flowerpots business and have plans to develop other products in the future, such as shoes and furniture. Asante Africa, their school and other educational stakeholders continue to support them in their endeavors.

Their greatest challenge is time and persistence. As a new small-scale business, they have not yet attracted much attention, but they are not giving up. They continue to develop their techniques and market their business in hopes of growing to a larger sale.

Through this business they are earning income, networking, fundraising and benefiting their community by keeping the environment clean and attractive, providing employment and attracting tourists. Their advice to youth who are starting their own businesses is to work hard and learn different new skills to be creative and innovative. Read more success stories and learn about our LEI Program.