Sustainable Business Innovation From Rural Women In Nigeria
By Susan Galer
Originally published by Forbes
From the southwest corner of Nigeria, a pioneering social enterprise called Durian is lifting rural women out of poverty to become economically self-sufficient and confident of their value in building a more sustainable world.
From poverty to social entrepreneur
One project at time, Durian is opening people’s eyes to the overlooked value of waste like bamboo, discarded fabric, and foodstuffs. I’ve been providing pro bono consulting to Durian as part of SAP’s virtual social entrepreneurship program, Acceleration Collective, and it’s opened my eyes too.
“We cannot make dismissive assumptions about poor, marginalized women in rural communities,” said Tony Joy, founder and director of Durian. “Growing up, I was constantly told I was good for nothing. But I’ve found that waste – tangible or abstract – is not useless if you give it the opportunity to become useful. With access to knowledge and training, women in rural communities are cool and creative, able to contribute socially to their families, communities, and economically to the world.”
