Help to Help is a non-profit organization that supports young adults in Tanzania by sponsoring higher education opportunities and facilitating links with future employers. To fundraise money, they’ve developed a unique crowdfunding website which brings ease and transparency to the donation process.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with two of the impact-makers behind Help-to-Help to learn more about the story behind the mission. Joining me around the table in the colorful Impact Hub kitchen were Malin Cronqvist, Founder and Chairwoman, and Kristofer Persson, Head of Communications.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about Help to Help? What is the goal of your organization?
Malin: Initially the goal was to make sure donors felt they knew where their money was going by creating a better feedback loop. I had read about the director of a big charity organization in Sweden embezzling money and I was so frustrated that such a thing could happen! So I started Help to Help to prove how easy it was to run a non-profit organization that gives that necessary feedback to the donors so that they feel informed and empowered.
I knew I couldn’t start an organization that builds schools, but I could help people help themselves—by helping them get an education, obtain a job afterwards, and thus empowering them to help society. So “help, to help, to help.” Donors help these youngsters help themselves and then help their communities.
Q: Do you have a specific target group of young people in mind?
Malin: We do. We select financially disadvantaged youth who have “the spark” and want to drive change in society. We try to identify change-makers, they are our target group.
Kristofer: They are the ones who have the will to change things, and possess the strategic thinking to make it happen.
Q: What is your selection process?
Malin: We have an extensive application form with many questions that applicants must answer. We test their ambitions and strategic thinking so that we know if they can actually do something about the problems they see. Then they go to the interview stage and we ask them even more questions, referencing the material from their applications, to see if they have what it takes.
I was in Tanzania in February, for example, and met the batch of applicants we picked this year. I was so amazed to see that they all share that special essence of strategic drive even though they are different people with very different backgrounds.
Q: Why Tanzania?
Malin: Five years ago I was skiing a lot and having a good time. When the skiing season was over I came back to Lund. My parents then asked me if I had any plans to study. I said no, I would go to Africa first.
I searched for 2-month Africa volunteer programs, and saw they costed 40 000 Kr, which was a very high amount to pay. I also did not want to get stuck in something I didn’t know much about or believe in. My father and I looked at the map of Africa and picked Tanzania, and then I spoke with a woman from the Swedish church to see what projects they had in the country. She put me in touch with a guesthouse run by the Lutheran church in the countryside, and I was invited to come and help out by cooking marmalade, taking care of the guests, etc.
Three weeks before flying out to Tanzania I got the idea to start Help to Help and started fundraising money for education, promising the donors that they would know exactly where their money ended up. I sent an email to friends explaining how frustrated I was by the non-transparency of donor money and promised to inform them exactly where their money was going if they contributed. I think many people recognized themselves in that idea. They believed in me as well—I ended up raising 30 000 Kr in three weeks.
Kristofer: This was at a moment when big charity organizations were still doing what they had always been doing, neglecting vital transparency and communication with their donors. This came at a cost—trust in these organizations was not at the top. A small organization can have a lot of competitive advantage.
Q: Why did you start doing this? Where did your inspiration come from?
Malin: For the first six weeks in Tanzania I was just observing how the country works, trying to discover a project I could believe in. I saw young adults my age who wanted to do so much—fight corruption, become teachers or business people—but couldn’t do it because they could not leave their home village or pay the school fees. And then I noticed there was a shortage of doctors and teachers in the country. There were charities everywhere in Tanzania and I did not want to do the same thing they were doing, such as starting an orphanage or a school. So this is how the idea of Help to Help came about.
Q: How do you keep the students from emigrating after graduation?
Malin: Firstly, we spoke with companies and found out they were looking for qualified employees but couldn’t find any. So we asked them to conduct workshops for the students and talk about how to write a good CV, and describe what kind of employees they are looking for. Secondly, the students we pick for our program really want to give back to the community, to their families. They have this strong bond with the local communities. Thirdly, big companies see Africa as an emerging market so the students see opportunities to stay and earn good money at home. So I think these three reasons are enough to ensure that students stay in Tanzania, this is one of the goals of the program.
Q: What did the beginning look like?
Malin: When I selected the first two students five years ago, during my stay with the guesthouse, I went to the bank and paid their tuition for the first year right away. When I went back to Sweden I presented the students to the donors, and did a financial report for them. I got emails from the students every month, which I communicated back to the donors as well. Then I started studying Industrial Engineering at KTH in Stockholm and met Erik, who offered to help with Help to Help’s website. Together we also started thinking about how we could communicate better, and scale up the organization. So he helped me to start thinking bigger. In the mean time one of our first students—Neema (Grace in Kiswahili)—graduated in Tanzania. Now she works for a Swedish solar panel company and is married. She was so eager to give back to us, told us what the challenges were when she was getting her education, and helped us develop the organization. She is always asking us how she can help contribute to Help-to-Help, which is great!
Q: What have you learned in the process? Any tips for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Malin: My advice is not to give up. If you have an idea, keep going for it! The idea will also get better if you discuss it with someone, so find people you can bounce it off of. My parents helped me a lot in the beginning—my father especially, who is a perfectionist and was always pushing me to do better.
Kristofer: Find the people in your close network who have special knowledge and ask for help. Malin is really good at it!
Malin: I think if you understand what people are really passionate about and ask them about it, they would gladly talk to you and teach you everything they know.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
Malin: We cover all of Tanzania now and we plan to become self-sustainable. Once we are self-sustainable in Tanzania we can go to other countries such as Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and East African countries. It depends on the political situation of course, and what partners we can get there.
Q: Why did you pick Impact Hub Stockholm as your co-working space?
Malin: We were at an incubator at KTH initially, and when that period finished we had to move. I had heard about Impact Hub Stockholm its focus on social entrepreneurship. And, the offer we received was good. We now have a Team Membership “Powered By the Hub,” which is perfect since we are three people working together.
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Author
Ekaterina Larsson is a freelancing Digital Communications Consultant and Marketing Manager who has worked with organisations including Stockholm International Water Institute and Greenpeace.