Meet the team at PERFECT, another success story coming out of Un Jour Nouveau.   After completing their start-up and entrepreneur training program (supported by our partners, ECI!) co-founders Marie and Elie took their idea to transform trash and old tires into beautiful, functional furniture, and made it into a booming business. Now they produce chairs, tables, art, playgrounds and more for customers in Goma, Kigali, Lumambashi, and beyond —they've even had orders from the first lady of Congo for her office in Kinshasa! They're a testament of what can happen when talent is mixed with training, support, and real opportunity. "Our idea is to preserve our environment and fight against pollution and waste," said Elie. "And we want to help create jobs for youth who want to do the same."  The team at PERFECT has had tremendous success. But this year, they're dreaming even bigger. "Our dream is to open up a showroom downtown," said Marie. "So we can attract more clients and … [Read more...] about A PERFECT Idea…

Giselle is a walking Un Jour Nouveau success story. She's a graduate of Un Jour Nouveau's incubator/star-up training program, supported by Alight partners Eastern Congo Initiative. Her dream was to open a sandwich shop right across the street from the university in Goma — a perfect spot for students on the go to grab a quick bite. She opened the doors of her business a few months ago, and it's been a smashing success...she's even expanded to sell hot meals and cookies, and she recently purchased an ice cream maker, too. But one of the things she realized she had her eye on was coffee service — especially for the students, who often need to cram for tests and stay awake studying.  Camille and Esther from Un Jour Nouveau really believe in Giselle, and we wanted to help them reach greater, bigger heights.  So we got her set up with all the things she'll need to brew up liquid fuel for students on the go...a coffee machine, coffee, and all the accessories.  And … [Read more...] about A New Brew

Camille and Esther from Un Jour Nouveau have been more than a little busy for the past 15 years since their return to DRC. Today, their programming includes a primary school, leadership program, business training and startup support to young entrepreneurs, a library, gender-based violence prevention training for men, and so much more… Needless to say, there are a LOT of people in and out of their buildings each day, including lots of hungry young people and kids.  The duo had an idea to help boost their existing programs and keep them running, while offering a lunchtime meal to fuel their students — an Un Jour Nouveau restaurant.  We loved the idea, and 365 pitched in to get the necessary supplies to get them started...basics like rice, flour, sugar, salt, and more. We got it in bulk, along with some meat and vegetables that will keep them going for a couple of weeks.  "Our plan is to get started and then keep the ball rolling from the profits," said Esther. "This is … [Read more...] about At Your Service

Meet Esther and Camille, the founders of Un Jour Nouveau!  Originally from western Congo and educated in Orange County, California, the couple chose to return to DRC and dedicate their lives to helping young people realize a new, better future in Goma. One that might help them heal from the devastating trauma of recent decades and transform themselves — and their city — into the leaders of the future.  Un Jour Nouveau is supported by the Eastern Congo Initiative, Alight’s partner, dedicated to supporting Congolese-led solutions for Congo. Esther and Camille surely fit the bill — they're leaders that kids can look up to.  When they first moved to Goma, their families thought they were crazy. But, they said, “it’s the best decision we’ve ever made.” They’re real life superheroes, doing the doable every single day!  One of the many things they do at Un Jour Nouveau is help elevate emerging entrepreneurs, providing business training, an incubator space, and a co-working … [Read more...] about A New Day

What's it like to live in darkness when the sun goes down? When doing clean energy research in Asili’s Zone 3 in Mudaka, one woman told us, "At night, the world becomes very small." For someone like her, access to solar lights and alternative forms of energy can fundamentally shift what life is like after 6pm. Knowing full well the impact that solar energy could have on this community, the Asili team brought along solar light kits to their clean energy cooking demonstration.  The group invited to the demonstration were all people who have been a part of the Asili team's initial clean energy research - they've been keeping records on how much they're spending on energy and from what sources. Now, the team wants to see how much they can save with these solar lights… So, as a way to say thank you, and also to deepen that research, the participants got to go home with a brand new solar kit!  This mom got a solar light installed at her house thanks to 365, and … [Read more...] about A Light in the Dark

The past few days have been all about bringing clean energy to Congolese communities. The Asili team has been brainstorming ways not just to develop a potential new clean energy business line, but to really co-create that business with the community.  As part of that process, they’re starting with cooking - cleaner, easier, and safer ways to get food on the table. First, it was a clean energy cooking demonstration. Then, a gas stove for a lucky family who will continue to test that idea further.  Today, it’s all about solar — harnessing the sun’s energy to supply a family’s culinary needs. The gas stove from yesterday was popular. But it requires families to purchase gas canisters in town when the gas runs out. But a solar stove? Now that was something people really had their eye on.  “They can’t get enough of it!” said Mama Salome from the Asili team. “They want it in their homes right now!”  It’s no wonder most people like the solar stove that was demonstrated … [Read more...] about Solar Powered

Yesterday, the Asili team headed to Mudaka, where Asili operates, and introduced two new, cleaner ways to cook — with a solar stove and a gas stove.  The idea was to drum up excitement for these clean energy tools and to see what the community thought of them, with the goal of then deciding which products Asili might then be brought into a new business line for the social enterprise.  And, spoiler alert, people LOVED them.  “Most people really have never seen how a gas stove is operated before,” said Mama Salome, one of Asili’s community mobilizers. “They love how quickly it cooks, and how easy it is.”  But before officially deciding to incorporate sale of the gas stove into a potential new business plan for Asili, the team wanted to learn more. Will people actually use it? What would they think after having it in their home? There was only one way to find out.  One lucky participant of the cooking demonstration got to go home, that very day, with their very … [Read more...] about Cooking with Gas

For most of us, it's difficult to even imagine life without access to a consistent source of energy. Lights to flip on when the sun goes down. Music to turn up while cleaning the house. Flames to adjust as you cook dinner. All at the tips of our fingers. But for the families living in Mudaka, Asili’s Zone 3 of operations, getting energy to fuel daily life is a challenge, every single day.  Most families don't have any access to consistent electricity. Instead their homes are covered in complete darkness at night. And getting charcoal to cook meals is not just time-consuming, it can be dangerous, not to mention destructive to the environment. It takes a lot of trees from far- reaching places to cook consistently. And women and children are most often the ones to get it.  The Asili team is well aware of these challenges. And they've been drumming up ways to bring more sustainable energy sources and tools to Asili communities. But first, they wanted to test out some products and … [Read more...] about A Show of Congolese Cooking

It isn't only the rural areas in Eastern Congo that struggle with access to clean water. It's a problem in town, too. For the residents of Bukavu, a city of over a million people, the local system is frequently shut off and even when it is turned on, it's risky to drink. There's a huge need for the type of clean and consistently safe water that Asili offers — but right now, you have to go outside the city to get it. The team thinks there might be a huge demand for Asili water in Bukavu, but they wanted to test it. With the help of 365, the team got together everything they needed to set up a small water boutique in the middle of town, advertising that Asili water is there, and then waiting — will the customers will start flowing in?  Over the coming weeks, they'll assess what’s working, and what might need improvement, for their brand new water boutique. It’s an experiment, but they’re looking forward to the results — and to keep evolving until they get it right. … [Read more...] about Closer to Home

For the past 5 years, Asili has built a reputation of reliability. Whether it’s their primary healthcare services or clean water business, people know that when they see the Asili brand, they’re guaranteed to get a product they can trust.  The Asili water business currently provides 4.5 million liters of clean water per month to over 140,000 people through 28 water points — that's a lot of water that people depend on. And part of ensuring that the water is always clean and flowing means doing regular maintenance. It means fixing pipes when needed, and ensuring that the water is always clean, always safe.  But sometimes the team needs to close down the water kiosk for maintenance a couple of hours at a time, which can be a disruption to people’s daily routines. So the Asili water team wanted to make sure that their customers knew about the maintenance ahead of time, so that they could plan accordingly.  Yesterday, one of Asili’s customers, Remy, had an idea to more clearly … [Read more...] about Jambo Wandugu!