Vulnerable people in developing countries often find themselves in precarious situations. The Illumine le monde Corporate Social Responsibility project was created to help young people in Senegal to become self-sufficient in the labour market. The idea came from the logistics operator Alianza Logistics and the association in charge of the programme, Soeur Marie Noel Tenden.
This example of Corporate Social Responsibility is aimed especially at vulnerable people, in particular young women who are victims of abuse. The aim is to integrate Senegalese women into the labour market and to project their autonomy. The women participating in the programme come from marginalised neighbourhoods in the city. Some of them are single mothers, with little or no education, who have been forced to leave school early.
Illumine le monde programme aims to make these women self-sufficient by training them so that they can develop in the labour market. The project has set up a workshop to make handmade candles, with the aim of selling them and contributing to the town’s economy. In Senegal, handmade products such as candles do not exist. Most of these goods come from China or Southeast Asia.
To test the project’s viability, Juan Miguel Dasca, founding partner of Alianza Logistics, analysed the competitiveness of the economic activity to be developed. The marketing plan consisted of characterising the product with the essence of Africa, its colours and highlighting the article as something new in the country, thanks to the originality of the candles. Moulds and silicone were brought from Spain with the intention of creating unique and creative candles, but above all so that the project participants could work on their own.
The project, which has been running since 2021, has trained six girls and two women. Currently, the project has managed to open a shop in M’bour, so that the women can sell their products. Thanks to the success of the programme, the sales scheme is expected to expand to cities such as Thiès, Dakar and other countries.
The Corporate Social Responsibility project had an initial investment of 12,000 euros.
The initial investment was 12,000 euros by the logistics operator Alianza Logistics, and the companies EFS Abogados and Casa Menaje also collaborated. However, actions are being developed to increase the investment and continue contributing to the cause.
The precursor logistics operator of the action, Alianza Logistics, has a corporate social responsibility strategy aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Thanks to its environmental actions, the company has the Calculo y Reduzco seal of the National Carbon Footprint Registry. The Illuminate the World project is not the only one of the company’s social commitment initiatives. At the national level, the company manages aid to non-profit organisations and institutions and solidarity actions with people with functional diversity and hospitalised children.
Looking ahead to 2023, the company is developing new actions that contribute to the well-being of society and the improvement of the environment.
