Global Citizenship Report 2017

Mpumelelo and Lawrence | South Africa Mpumelelo and Lawrence are young entrepreneurs who recently opened their first business venture — a coffee shop called Kofi in the Soweto Township of Johannesburg. They opened Kofi after participating in TechnoServe’s Box Shop Program, which connects local entrepreneurs with wider markets and links them to stable supply chains. Mpumelelo and Lawrence believe that the program gave them a platform to achieve their dream of bringing a product they believe in — their coffee — to market. Lei | Singapore Lei, a university student in Singapore, was unsure which of her many interests would translate into a successful career. After participating in the Citi Foundation–YMCA Youth For Causes Program, she realized her passion for socially minded development and declared a major in economics. Yusef | Mexico Yusef is the founder of Vitaluz, a social enterprise that promotes the use of solar power in off-grid communities. After he participated in Citibanamex Fomento Social’s New Ventures Exponential program, where young entrepre- neurs receive seed capital to develop and implement their business ideas, Yusef manufactured and installed Vitaluz’s first 10 solar panel systems in a community that had no access to government electricity. He received additional funding to install 138 solar panels in schools, providing students with lighting and access to technology. I aspire to help people make more informed and rational eco- nomic decisions and ideally make the society I am living in a more just and sensible one. The program helped me transform my social enterprise from a class project into my life’s mission. I used the skills I obtained at Citi to start my career in the IT field. I’m so grateful for this opportunity, which enabled me to pursue my goals. Vanessa | U.S. After graduating with a computer science degree, Vanessa enrolled in an NPower program to boost her real-world credentials and find a full-time job. After an internship at Citi, she obtained a full-time job running the IT system of a local community organization. PATHWAYS TO PROGRESS: PARTICIPANT VOICES Our business aspirations are to create a sustainable business that can be up-scaled into multiple franchises in major centers and hopefully across the continent. Citi 2017 Global Citizenship Report 111 CONTENTS    INTRODUCTION    HOW WE DO BUSINESS    SOLUTIONS FOR IMPACT     APPENDICES Environmental Finance    Inclusive and Resilient Communities