Akola Project
Designing Her Story
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Akola Project
The Akola model was developed as a pathway to equip women with business skills, leadership development, and earned income to provide for the basic needs of themselves and their 9+ dependents, as well as pursue side ventures. The model begins with community development and ends with long-term sustainability.
Before training and employment take place, Akola builds the infrastructure for economic opportunity in rural communities in Eastern and Northern Uganda. This includes the construction of water wells, vocational training centers and roads. Akola centers provide a place for Akola women to work and engage as a community in holistic programming, helping them gain respect in their villages.
Akola's team works with community leaders to identify women with the greatest need - women who have a great number of dependents, who lack education and mainstream vocational skills. Through dedicated training, Akola provides marginalized women with confidence and dignity as they learn to make products that sell in the global marketplace.
Akola creates unique high-end products designed to compete with for-profit brands that retail across four distribution channels. 100% of profits from Akola products fund beneficiary wages and are invested into Akola's social mission.
Akola provides dependable employment through product manufacturing and inventory management. Akola women can rely on a dependable salary to budget for their families, send their children to school, meet their medical needs and invest in secure homes. As women generate Akola income, Akola facilitates savings and loans associations where women save approximately 10% of their Akola earned income.
Akola achieves sustainability its partner communities and within the nonprofit organization. Many Akola women use their savings to start local businesses in their communities to create long term sustainability for their families. As an organization, Akola's social business helps our nonprofit remain financially sustainable and scalable.
Akola Dallas
In 2014, Akola brought its next generation model home and launched Akola Dallas in order to expand the economic opportunities for women, who have been marginalized due to experiences such as sex trafficking and incarceration. In collaboration with nine Dallas-based nonprofit organizations, Akola Dallas is empowering women in poverty through professional development and work opportunities in Akola's distribution center and production.
Where we work
External reviews
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The vision of Akola is to create a global impact at every point in the supply chain while furthering the organization's mission to empower women to become agents of transformation in their families and communities through economic development. Through the development of raw materials, assembly of jewelry and distribution of Akola products, the organization makes a social impact at every point. Akola strives to not only provide job opportunities to those oppressed by poverty, disease, and the justice system, both in West Dallas and Uganda, but also seeks to empower individuals in their capacity to take change into their own hands. 100% of Akola's profits are reinvested in the social mission to empower vulnerable women and families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Firstly, Akola has developed a cutting edge development model and theory of change with three pillars: Economic Empowerment, Restoration of Hope, and Agency. Economic Empowerment focuses on creating opportunity for women to meet the basic needs for themselves and their families. The second pillar focuses on addressing poverty as a lack of hope and broken relationship with self, others, and community. The third pillar, Agency, equips women to operate as agents of transformation in their families and communities, addressing poverty as defined as a lack of choice. Across each pillar, Akola adheres to five core organizational values: (1) participatory posture, (2) community-led implementation, (3) capacity building focus, (4) asset-based approach, and (5) financial inclusion.
In addition, Akola has developed a competitive business model that has the capacity to scale and expand its product and customer base significantly while continuing to impact hundreds of women in need.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As an organization, Akola has staff leadership that focuses on both the empowerment and business pillars which make Akola's holistic model successful. With a 10-year track record working successfully in Uganda, Akola is fully equipped to continue growing the organization in East Africa. Through incredible partnerships and leaders in Dallas, Akola is well suited to continue growing the retail and empowerment programs in the United States.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As a non-profit, Akola has successfully built global social business that manufactures, produces and distributes jewelry products made by marginalized women in Uganda and Dallas. Akola Jewelry has retailed in more than 450 boutiques across the United States and with major retail partners such as Neiman Marcus. Akola currently serves more than 500 women throughout Uganda and Dallas, TX.
Akola continues to improve the quality of product, work opportunity and sourcing of materials which make a social impact.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Akola Project
Board of directorsas of 09/17/2019
Kip Tindell
Founder & Chairman, Container Store
Charity Wallace
Principle, Wallace Global Impact
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes