TCU business course helps impoverished Ethiopians

They foraged in dumps at home in Ethiopia, or sold vegetables or washed clothes to survive. But in Fort Worth, 15 Ethiopian mothers are earning a living by creating jewelry, headbands and soap through a TCU program.

At the same time, the business students are learning how to turn a profit and support a social cause.

The program started at the beginning of the fall semester. By mid-December, the women had earned about eight months’ worth of income.

“It’s definitely rewarding to know that our business idea will impact these women’s lives and their immediate community,” said Alessandra Papini, a senior majoring in entrepreneurial management and business information systems at TCU.

Papini was among about 16 students in the university’s first values-based entrepreneurship class. They studied ways to generate money in the marketplace for nonprofit groups or companies that want to give something back to society.

“Consumers are becoming more and more interested in the story behind their products,” said David Gras, assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at TCU’s Neeley School of Business.

Gras, who taught the class, said values-based entrepreneurship is a growing movement. Nonprofits use it to generate money, large companies view it as a way to give back, and consumers can rest assured that workers are paid fairly.

“Our business has a huge potential for success in the market because it’s very unique and aligns with the current health-conscious trend for social consumer goods,” Papini said. “Consumers are looking for products that are not only good for them but that bring good to other people.”

The class partnered with the Fort Worth-based nonprofit Adera Foundation. The faith-based organization was created in 2009 to help women who had been foraging at a 10-story dump in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.

“We help empower the moms,” said Julie Miller,executive director of Adera.

Miller told the students that many mothers rummage at the dump, sell vegetables or wash clothes, and she also talked about how Ethiopians make paper beads.

After some brainstorming, the students came up with a variety of products that rely on the women’s skills and Ethiopian resources, including making paper bead jewelry in TCU’s iconic purple shade. One of the product lines is called Rise2Lift and includes necklaces and bracelets, Gras said. Most of the jewelry is made of recycled or repurposed materials, including paper and ammunition, he said.

Another product is called Amoqa, or “warmth” in the Ethiopian language used here. The Amoqa line is made up of headbands that are knitted or crocheted and decorated with an Ethiopian coin.

Beads4Needs is a line of charms that can be purchased and put on a bracelet to support specific causes or projects.

In a fourth project, Over the Hump, soap is made from camels’ milk and marketed to hotels and businesses.

The students pitched the project to the TCU Barnes & Noble store, which agreed to carry the products. By mid-December, the products were sold out, and plans were underway to bring in more stock.

“That is a wonderful problem to have,” Miller said.

The students continue to market the products with the hope they will take off even after the students move on to other classes.

“We have literally changed those women’s lives,” said Jacquie Hunt, a 21-year-old senior who is studying entrepreneurial management.

This story was originally published December 28, 2014 at 4:13 PM with the headline "TCU business course helps impoverished Ethiopians."