ToLA

Using industrial technology, how might ToLA utilize local natural resources to combat malnutrition and improve the health of stunted and underweight children and single mothers in Liberia's slum communities?

The number of malnourished people in Sub-Saharan African nations has risen from 5.5 million to 30 million in the last ten years, with 3.5 million tragically dying. Malnutrition affects 38% of people under the age of five, and if ambitious, adequate measures are not implemented to lessen its effects, that number could skyrocket, leading to more deaths. Liberia, one of these Sub-Saharan African countries, has one of the highest food insecurity and malnutrition levels. With 4.5 million people, Liberia is still vulnerable to the adverse effects of the civil war, and poverty among low-income families has devastated the lives of the underserved. 2.2 million Liberian children, of whom 700,000 live below the age of five, are malnourished.  32% consume poor-quality food, which weakens their immune system, exposing them to health risks and contracting life-threatening diseases. 26.9% of these children are stunted, preventing them from reaching and fulfilling their potential. They are prone to cognitive impairment and significant learning challenges resulting in low educational attainment.

ToLA intervention focuses on utilizing local natural resources, corn, and 100% fresh cow milk to process and produce a high-quality and affordable macronutrient corn-milk Yogurt to combat malnutrition among children and low-income families in Liberia. These combinations create an easily digestible recipe that enhances the health outcomes for the targeted malnourished children and single-mother. Farmers can make money by selling their products to us. Local community members can earn an income by selling our corn-milk yogurt product.

The corn added to make the yogurt is fortified with thiamine, which boosts cognitive function, and has vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects cells from damage and fends off cancer and heart disease. Calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12, and protein essential for growth can be found in fresh cow milk. Due to these mixtures, corn-milk yogurt is fortified with micronutrients crucial for preventing malnutrition in children and low-income families in Liberia. 

The solution will impact the target group in the following ways.

1. Strengthen children's immune systems, and fight diseases among them.

2. Improve cognitive function, and accelerate high educational attainment among children.

3. Prevent early impairment and child mortality.

4. reduce exposure to health risks such as stunting, being underweight, and wasting diseases.

Children and single mothers who are malnourished are our solution focus. In Liberian communities, the problem of children under the age of five not having access to nutritious food is a major concern. This social issue must be addressed. Our approach relies on the natural resources that are already present in the area. We purchase corn and fresh cow milk from the local farmer and process them. Through this process, we are also improving economic activities among farmers. We use cutting-edge technology to create a corn milk yogurt enriched with the minerals that underprivileged families in Liberia need to fight malnutrition. Fresh cow milk contains magnesium, calcium, and victim B12, while corn contains thiamine and the antioxidant, victim C. These ingredients are in the yogurt produced to help lower the risk to children's and single mothers' health, enhance learning and health outcomes and guard against impeding children's early growth and development in Liberia. Corn milk yogurt will promote food security, improve children's cognitive development, and open job opportunities for low-income families.

Our CEO Amara Kamara founded Higher Vision, the Program Director at Transition. Intern at PeaceX India as human resources and project manager at Educate Children. He currently studies the social sciences and served as the SRC president from 2021-2022 at  African Leadership College. He possesses the leadership acumen to deliver the solution to malnutrition. Our CTO, Mussie Hailu, is the tech support intern at ALC, a research intern at Project Cybele, and studies computer science at ALC/Glasgow Caledonian University. He will use his skills and experience to design and solve all related technical challenges to our solution.  Our CFO & BA, Adja Gueye, is a Microsoft Learn student ambassador and data analyst intern at 2TF Group. Project manager at Global Villager. GitHub campus expert, Network, and computer systems administration trainee. She studies computer science at ALC/Glasgow Caledonian University. Her skills made her a great team player in managing our business's financial aspects. Our DPD, Jasmine Ansah-Antwi, is a CYST software development intern and serves as an office service intern at Tullow. Private physics and extended mathematics tutor at Cambridge IGCSE. She studies electrical power system engineering at ALC/ Glasgow Caledonian University. As an engineer, she will use her experience and skills to improve our industrial-related work.  Nqobile Ncube, our CMO, is a co-founder and Marketing Director at Calmos. MCF full-time scholar. Millennium Fellow and Circular Economic Champion. Current SRC president at the African Leadership College. She is better positioned to redefine our marketing strategies and help us reach our target audience.  

Our team is fully prepared to deliver the outcome of the health and poverty-proven intervention strategic project. We are students who deeply care about the health of children and women. We are all driven by passion and a purpose to address the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity and increase access to job opportunities. We have a growth mindset and are active learners. We are committed individuals, mission-driven, proactive, and result-oriented in our approach to problem-solving. We have gained the skills and experience working with enterprises and NGOs that are already impacting the African continent and are changing lives. We have the skills to mobilize community assets and build inter-agency partnerships to support vulnerable and marginalized communities. We are a diverse team from the social sciences, entrepreneurs, engineering, and computer science departments. Bringing our interdisciplinary skills, knowledge, and experience together has helped us build a company that will solve the African food insecurity challenges and improves children's and mothers' health outcomes. We are building a board of advisors who are experts in their fields to help design our products and services to serve our community. As part of our team, these experts push us to think differently. The team has the best ideas and knowledge about the problem and needs support to further our mission.

As part of my dissertation and research project, I have conducted ethnographic research to understand why single mothers and children are stunted and underweight. The study tries to understand why there is low educational attainment outcome among the Liberian youth. The team has also built on qualitative and quantitative secondary data analysis such as journal articles, conference papers, books, newspapers, and magazines to explore the issues of malnutrition in Liberia and around the African continent. 

Our regression model and research findings inform the team that the problem's root cause of malnutrition in Liberia and across Africa is poverty, food insecurity, overpopulation, and civil war. The findings have proven a 0.5 significant relationship between these variables responsible for hunger and poor-quality food consumption among low-income families. Our solution is a straightforward and human-centered design that targets groups affected by the problem being researched. The population affected by malnutrition needs quality and affordable food that contains the minerals, proteins, and vitamins necessary to help them combat malnutrition, fulfill their potential, and improve their health outcomes.

Our social enterprise is a cornmeal and milk-based preparation combining different essential micronutrients to produce an affordable, healthy yogurt. Our solution to tackling the problem of malnutrition by utilizing local natural resources, empowering and improving the economic activities of local farmers, and increasing access to job opportunities among low-income families makes it an excellent intervention for combating malnutrition and reducing poverty among low-income families. We are also utilizing advanced industrial technology to increase productivity and ensure that our product reaches more people affected by the problem of malnutrition while maintaining quality and affordable food consumption. We also want to reinvest 80% of our revenue into the business to scale and increase our impact on vulnerable communities. We want to increase access to education and community development. So investing 80% of our revenue into solving social problems will make a huge difference.

Our long-term goal is to foster malnutrition-free children and mothers from low-income families by increasing access to food and making it more affordable. Beginning next year, we aim to execute our implementation plan and be able to improve the health condition of 10,000 malnourished children in Liberia's slum communities. We are building a stronger network, engaging in ethical leadership training, and seeking funding opportunities. We have started working with experts to help us design and develop our product. The equipment and infrastructure needed have been identified. The human capital and ingredients for production are already on hand. Tola full Pitch deck slides

The corn rice folder grinder and the complete yogurt processing machine, such as homogenizers, pasteurizers, and raw milk refrigerator tanks, are the technologies that power our solution. The procurement process of our production relies on cutting edge-industrial technology to increase production, serve the community well, and increase revenue. These advanced technologies allow us to produce affordable, healthy, and quality products while maintaining 98% efficiency.

We plan to reach and impact the lives of 10,000 people, including children and single women, who face extreme malnutrition in vulnerable Liberian slum communities from 2023–2024.

We are already building the partnership and the expertise needed to help us fulfill our goals. Product and equipment have been identified. The best team has been built to carry out the project activities.  Our only barrier is seed funding to get equipment and initiate production.

Our project is student-led, and our first partner has been the African Leadership College, which supports a social cause. We receive direct mentorship and guidance from an expert as part of the school's career development program. We want to expand our partnership with industrial leaders and companies that will allow us to grow our potential and help us fulfill our vision and mission. 

Find attached the business model of ToLA.

ToLA Business model canvas 2023

ToLA engages in B2C and B2B revenue models, a direct sales to customers. 

The details of our revenue model and path to financial sustainability can also be found in our business model canvas in the customer segments section. ToLA Business model canvas 2023