#MEET Little Bassa Cassava
This is a short interview we conducted with Morris Y. Matadi, the founder of “Little Bassa Cassava”. If you like the concept of this idea and would like to vote for it, click HERE.
My name is Morris Y. Matadi, a Liberian, age 35 and a High school graduate. I also hold a Diploma in Social Entrepreneurship from the SE Outreach Accelerated social entrepreneurs forum in Sweden/Stockholm. The name of our project is Little Bassa Cassava mill Project for sustainable community.
- Describe your idea or project in two sentences.
The main objectives of this project is to strengthen the capacity of rural cassava farmers, organize them into a farming governance, increase the quality and quantity of production, create a sustainable markets program to help strengthen food commodity so that they become real drivers for pro-poor rural economic development, to eradicate extreme poverty in the Little Bassa community, while providing job opportunity for former child soldiers to be reintegrated into society. The activities include the following: To build two stainless steel cassava mill processing machines, create a workshop on cassava farming for 20 cassava farmers, to train former child soldiers and cassava farmer how to preserve and package cassava into local Liberian food, to create the awareness on the importance of the sustenance of cassava product in the fight against extreme poverty.
- What are the benefits you take from the Entrepreneurship Campus?
At the Entrepreneurship Campus, I learned new ways how to work with the community and targeted people (former child soldiers) that I work with, giving them a share responsibility and owner ship. At the same time receiving financial return for sustainability.
- What motivates you to be an entrepreneur?
I was motivated by my driven vision for change and to change others former child soldiers like me and I knew becoming a social Entrepreneur was going to help me achieve my goals of creating a safe and an enabling environment where children will live in peace and will not be use as soldiers but a social change makers.
- Imagine you have ‚supreme power’ to create and innovate: how would your world look like? What changes would you like to make in your community and/or in the world? Share your thoughts from a ‚supreme power’ and entrepreneur standpoint.
I would like the world to be very peaceful and sustainable. In my community, we are presently creating a safe and an enabling environment through the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers, Women associated with fighting forces and other youth from Ghettos community by providing PTSD counseling, vocational and technical skills with employment opportunities. That's the change I will always like to make in my community.
- What would you say to potential voters who may be reading your interview?
First of all, I will like to extend my regards to my supporters that have already voted for me. To all of my friends, supporters, associate and family, please vote for IDEFOCS project. Your votes will help reduce extreme poverty, improve food production and creates employment opportunity for former child soldiers.
• NOTICE: If you want to see more submitted ideas and projects at the Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition, visit BEST IDEAS and BEST PROJECTS and VOTE for the ones you think deserve to WIN the Competition!
