Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Patez is an initiative that aims to help indigent rural children access quality education by using recyclable waste as a means of payment, thereby solving the problem access to quality education and proper disposal of recyclable wastes.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Patez is an educational initiative that helps indigent children in remote villages in Nigeria to access quality education like their urban counterparts thereby bridging the educational gap that currently bedevils the Nigerian state, thus revolutionizing the way they access formal education. The difficulty in accessing quality education and the inability to properly dispose recyclable wastes are two daily problems that the Nigerian population face, and more broadly people in other African countries. Patez, at its core objectives, aims to solve these two major problems by enabling children in remote rural communities have access to quality education by using recyclable wastes as a means of payment. This would ensure that the environment (both land and water) is clean and safe and the children themselves are not deprived of education as a result of their background or financial difficulty; thereby achieving several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

By launching Patez, the major problem we aim to solve is providing affordable and sustainable quality education for children of K-12 ages in rural settlements who, hitherto, are not able to access them. The world has gone beyond literacy and numeracy to digitalization. It is a fact that accessing this standard or quality education is expensive. It is also a known fact that the world is developing at an unprecedented rate, and to allow these children to remain deprived of evolving alongside with the rest of the world because of their financial challenges would be unfair. Hence, Patez offers an opportunity for all to gain access to relatively the same quality of education at the benefit of the society, by making the land and water bodies clean and safe at the same time.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

The major advantages/benefits our project tends to provide include but not limited to the following: 1. Unfettered access to quality education by indigent children. 2. Safe water bodies devoid of litters and clutters. 3. Decluttering the lands and making the environment cleaner and safer. 4. Providing a better future for these children by improving their chances of having a fair chance at life.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

We are looking forward to serving the indigent Nigerian children of the K-12 age range, living in very remote villages, who may or may not have access to basic amenities.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-02-09

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

3

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

3

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Helen Orie (F) is a graduate of Estate Management with a postgraduate degree in education. She has been working as a school teacher for the past three years and has been passionate about bringing real sustainable education to the grassroots. Peace Clifford (F) holds a bachelor’s degree in education. She has been working as a school teacher for the past eighteen years. She brings her wealth of experience and strong passion to this project because of her desire to see how impactful education should be in the life of disadvantaged children. Chikere Solomon (F) a teaching assistant that has worked actively in the Early Years Child Care unit for the past two years has demonstrated unique passion for the education of young children.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

https://linktr.ee/dremmie

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Education

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

5

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

By providing this quality of education for these children, they would have greater prospects and stand a better chance at life, thus would be well-equipped to fend for a better life not just for themselves but also for their families, thus alleviating their families from poverty in the long run.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

3

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

3

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

This project will offer children of the K-12 age group with the selected communities the opportunity to access premium quality education at subsidized fees and having the option to pay with wastes that litters their environment. This further ensures that all children, both males and females, are given the opportunity to get educated equally without prejudice to the financial states of their parents/families or other factors.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

4

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

This project will ensure that the environment is cleaner and safer, thus bringing about a sustainable management of water resources and sanitation for all, by having our water bodies and water ways clear of clutters of recyclable wastes.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

3

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

3

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

2

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

females, are given the opportunity to get educated equally without prejudice to the financial states of their parents/families. In most communities, priority is usually given to male children when it comes to education, but with this project in place, all children can get education by just gathering recyclable wastes from their local environment to pay as fees for their tuition.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

5

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

The collection of these recyclable wastes will eventually make the settlements of these children safe and clean, thus making it resilient and sustainable.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

3

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

3

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

4

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

6

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

5

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

5

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

4

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

4

05.08 Justification

Our project, Patez, would make it easier for parents to raise fees for their children by converting recyclable wastes to school fees, thus ensuring that their children's education ad future is well catered for.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Our main potential competitors are public schools and small private schools which don't have the resources to provide the kind of education we offer. Most of these public schools are in states of disrepair and have few or no teachers at all who may not be well motivated to give in their best to the children. The small private schools do not have the financial power to produce the same quality education at the same affordable rate. Hence, this gives us an edge over our competitors.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes. Yes. In early November 2023, I organized a mini workshop on the role of women in entrepreneurship and nation building. I brought in a number of facilitators from several parts of the country to educate women in my local government on the need to actively get involved in entrepreneurial ventures. The aftermath of the event was a blossoming increase in the participation of women in entrepreneurship from almost 8% to over 22% with at least 15 formally registered businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).