The Challenges in Mdada

We all have ups and downs in life in both our personal and professional lives. Mdada has definitely had its share. As a start up trying to build a sustainable business as well as have an impact in the society, it has not been an easy task. There are times I question if I'm actually doing the right thing in terms of my business model. Most people working to solve the problem of lack of school fees are either NGOs or Foundations which makes sense because it would take a lot of sales to happen to pay school fees for one girl for just one term, particularly if the product is costing Ksh 1000 or less. Whereas NGOs and Foundations can collect donations of any amount which allows them to impact more girls.  For Mdada we chose not to be an NGO because we believe that businesses are more sustainable than donations. We also wanted to give individuals an opportunity to be a part of this beautiful cause through purchase of products. Perhaps T-shirts may not be the product to get us to where we want to be as far as impact is concerned, but we're working on that and great things are coming soon.

Other challenges we've had like most startups include:

1. Lack of capital- I've been selling stickers and scarves from office to office just to generate capital to start my T-shirt line and also contribute something to the girls' school fees.
2. Lack of transparent systems in the schools we partner with- it's difficult to get accurate information about a girls' school fees because the schools are lacking in a proper accounting system and sometimes it could be that there's a shortfall in integrity. We are looking at implementing better systems to avoid such problems.
3. Finding business partners- we have tried to partner with businesses who can either sell our products or help us fundraise but that has been quite challenging. 
4. Sustaining the entrepreneur- as a young person trying to build a business, it's quite tough with a tight budget. It's so hard to do what you want when you're trying to figure out how your bills will get paid. 

The good thing is that Mdada has a great support team. The people who encourage me to keep going and give me ideas and support when needed. I guess, this is what keeps Mdada going together with prayers. I really believe that this is my calling and it we will prosper. I just hope this changes sooner rather than later!

Bless,

L