Personally, I’ve always admired individuals who’ve been able to just get up, leave their world behind, go into an impoverished region and make a positive yet tangible impact within those communities.
Monja Wolf, founder of Monyati Initiatives
I’ve been lucky enough to have learnt about the likes of Jacqueline Novogratz (Acumen Fund), Craig Keilburger (Free the Children & Me to We) and recently, Monja Wolf, Founder of Monyati Initiatives.
Wanting to help people, Monja found her release through creating Monyati Initiatives – a nonprofit social development programme based in Dubai that supports worldwide communities in need.
Previously Monya had collaborated with UNICEF in the GCC region, set up the CSR sector for a Dubai based developer, and worked on developing social business for the Grameen Bank with (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The word “Monyati” itself is an Arabic word and can be translated into English as a “little wish that is very close to your heart”.
It resembles the vision and mission of this organization: To fulfill little wishes.
Started in 2009, Monyati has worked in different sectors in various countries across the world.
Even though the initiatives are focused on Middle East development, Monyati isn’t limited in serving one region. By partnering with social organizations and socially committed corporations, Monyati has been able to successfully implement projects in Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean.
Each project undertaken by Moneyati Initiatives is diverse in nature, with tangible and measurable results. Here’s a list of some of Monyati’s social initiatives:
Project Kashmir: Monyati created a vocational training centre where women are taught sewing, embroidery and basic marketing skills. Once these women complete their exams, they receive their own sewing machine, allowing them to stand on their own feet.
Project Mexico: Yucatan peninsula of Mexico receives about 1400 mm rainfall every year. Monyati Initiatives enabled the construction of 10 water cisterns in this year. The rain water is collected and stored in these cisterns, to be used by inhabitants of the area during dry season.
Project Brazil: Building low-cost houses in the Favela communities of Sao Paulo. 4 communities, 100 houses, built with the help of 600 volunteer students, in just 5 days.
Operating transparently, Monyati continues to build upon each project tirelessly. The efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In December 2010, The Clinton Global Initiative (helping turn ideas into action) contributed $400,000 to help Monyati in their commitment to build 200 homes with in the next four years in Haiti.
Check out all of Monyati’s current & completed projects.
Moving towards Sustainability
Monyati Initiatives is hoping to continue supporting their outreach projects by creating handicraft products through their latest venture – Maat: a social enterprise, based in the UAE, that markets fair-trade top quality fashion handbags, produced by vocational centers in developing countries.
100% of the money earned is channelled back into the regions which produced the goods, through more Monyati initiatives.
Big Change Starts Small
During my conversation with Monja, I took away the following invaluable advice, “start small, and then build on it.”
It is easy to look at all of these amazing people who are making a significantly positive impact in the world and one might immediately become overwhelmed. However, none of them achieved all of their accomplishments overnight.
In our conversation, Monja said “When you have that dream, you have it deep inside you and if you don’t find an outlet for it, you become more frustrated every day. Eventually, you just have to start with one step, and the rest will show.”
And with Monyati, that’s exactly how she’s doing it.
Monyati’s initiatives are achieved by people reaching out and supporting them.
If you’re interested in partnering up on an initiative, donating funds, supporting them with your skills or volunteering for a project, you can get in touch with Monja directly through the Monyati Initiatives website.
To learn more, here’s Monja at TEDxDubai speaking about her transition into social development.
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