Alice, the founder of Lulu Life
With grant assistance from USADF in 2015, Foundation for Youth Initiative supported Kajo Keji Lulu Works Multipurpose Cooperative Society on its Kajo Keji Shea Nut Butter Oil Capacity Building Project. The project developed LWMCS’s operational capacity in financial and business management and improve its production capacity by establishing a Shea nut purchase fund and purchasing an oil expeller and related equipment to produce grade A Shea butter products for export in the East Africa Region. The goal of the project was to improve the standard of living of LWMCS members in Kajo Keji County of Central Equatoria State in South Sudan. The Project was aimed to improve LWMCS’s prospects for sustained expansion as indicated by the development of a comprehensive five-year business plan that USADF deems suitable for funding by a donor or other financial institutions, improved financial management, improved business management capacity, improved technical and operational capacity and improved marketing capacity.
Foundation for Youth Initiative has provided demand-driven training and technical assistance on numerous topics including Enterprise Development and Marketing, Grinding Machines Operations, Safety, Oil processing, and Shea nut Butter Oil Quality Control; Sustainable Lulu Nut Production; Agricultural Best Practices; Governance and Systems Development; Financial Management Systems Development; Administrative and Operational Systems Development, Brand Development and Marketing Plan and 5-year Business Plan Development. Now in its second year, LWMCS has helped to increase farm income by almost $70,000, increased agricultural investments by $80,000, and supported 2,009 farmers both members and non-members in Kajo Keji in South Sudan.