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<h1 style="text-align:center;">An in-depth interview with Feleg Tsegaye of Deliver Addis</h1>​​For more stories, download our recent<a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com/uploads/RENEW_2020_2021_Impact_Report_web_5e1a98866d.pdf"> Impact Report</a>, and read an abbreviated version of the following story called “Scaling Delivery to Meet Pandemic Demands” on page 18 of the report.While many companies watched demand for their products and services screech to a halt, Deliver Addis, Ethiopia’s premier online food delivery company, had a good year. Founder Feleg Tsegaye and the Roadrunner/Deliver Addis team responded quickly at the start of the pandemic with creativity and speed to scale the company’s services and expand their online store beyond restaurant takeout to include groceries, household supplies and other consumer products.&nbsp;Here’s what Feleg had to say during a conversation in the first quarter of 2021. Most of it is more applicable than ever as the pandemic continues in new forms throughout the globe.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/DA_pic_b9dbe91ad4.png"></figure>Q: First, can you tell me your personal story of the pandemic and your business?&nbsp;The pandemic was unexpected. We had been waiting to see when the pandemic might hit Ethiopia. It seemed like the rest of the world was getting hit first. We bought out a stock of N95 masks the day before the first case was announced in Ethiopia. Within a day of the first documented case, restaurants started calling and saying that foot traffic went to zero within hours. And they were concerned about their livelihoods. Some closed within the first 24 hours and haven’t reopened. It had a very immediate effect.&nbsp;We ended up reducing our prices by 30% to make it easier for people to order. Most people were looking to conserve whatever income they were making because they were not sure what might happen tomorrow. We did what we could to reduce that financial impact to people. We worked with restaurants by providing guidance on how to help prevent Covid-19 transmission within restaurants and provided education to our consumers on how to avoid transmissions. For other restaurants, we helped them come up with a temporary, low priced menu in order to encourage people to order. So, we did a number of things outside of delivery just to make sure that the ecosystem itself could remain somewhat stable. We expanded our fleet by 60% to fulfil orders and to provide more opportunities.&nbsp;It was an interesting time, there was not a lot of precedent, it helped us in the long run and it helped us to help other businesses as well. Most restaurants didn't have to lay off a lot of people. We at least provided some kind of stop gap when many restaurants were feeling the pinch.&nbsp;Q: What is your outlook for your business? What do the next few years look like?A sentiment that is widely held in the tech community is that Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of tech based services and products by 3-7 years. Technology can be a bigger part of our lives even more so than it used to be. For us, our goal is to be as accessible to as many people as possible. For the business as a whole, we are going to expand pretty significantly. Especially in terms of labor and staffing so we look forward to a transformed organization along with the transformed environment that we now find ourselves in.&nbsp;Q: What is the process that you went through as an entrepreneur?&nbsp;It was really trial and error in the beginning. We didn’t have a lot of historical precedent to say what would work and not work. But the fact that we were there to answer the calls of other restaurants and business owners and just reassure them that there was a way through it changed our relationship with our vendors. Yes, we have a business relationship, but at the same time, we all needed to make sure that we all survived and lived to see another day. So I think it allowed me to step outside of the business perspective and really be there for the businesses which were struggling.Q: Are you familiar with the phrase “Standing Ground”? What does it mean to you as an entrepreneur?Yeah, not sure if there’s a specific context to that phrase, other than communicating the importance of resilience. In our case, we couldn't just stand our ground, we had an even greater responsibility given the work that we did, to become more available to people and to prevent people from putting themselves at risk when trying to get food and supplies. Rather than just standing ground, we had to push forward despite the headwinds. We had to launch grocery services and find ways to get people what they wanted rather than forcing them to go to them. We had to push forward as much as we could.&nbsp;As an e-commerce business, connectivity is pretty important to what we do. We could function during the pandemic because we had the bare necessities. When the internet was shut down for 3 weeks with the uncertainty of when it may come back, it prevented us from having operational visibility that we are used to and allowing consumers to reach us.&nbsp; We took some notes from old air traffic control procedures whereby every plane and designator and other details would be written on a piece of paper and have a board in which air traffic controllers would reorder these planes as they were landing. We sent out a blast text and asked our customers to text us your orders. We used these pieces of paper and a large conference table subdivided into different sections based on the status of the order at that time. This paper would go to each of those stations on the tables manned by a specific individual until it was completed. We used that to manage orders, even when we couldn't tell where our drivers were. It took a little bit of creativity.&nbsp;Q: What was the hardest part of 2020/2021 so far for your business?&nbsp;I think the labor force. Staffing has always been a challenge. Because you are trying to bring on people who are not used to formal employment, they may be used to doing things under table or in an undocumented fashion. And as you try to bring them into the formal workforce, there are a&nbsp; lot of people who may not be ready for it. In emerging markets when the economy is growing rapidly, people want to see themselves in it.&nbsp;Q: What support for these challenges did you receive?Thanks to the Impact Angel Network, we were able to raise some additional capital. Especially since we had to reduce prices, we needed to make sure that we were still able to pay and compensate our team fairly. We are in a sector that thrived during the pandemic compared to other sectors, so it was really on our shoulders to support the larger community. Whether that is broadening the consumer base or advising the restaurants based on the feedback we get from customers. We were at a point where we needed to help those individuals who were struggling because if many restaurants close then that would also come to us. We developed a symbiotic relationship during that time, where everyone was trying to figure out how to get through each month.&nbsp;Q: How has your business shifted or pivoted to adapt?Adding grocery services and other deliverable items broadened the use case for our service. Customers who can’t afford to order for every meal or who don't want to do that for other health reasons, can have the option to order ingredients they will use to cook. In Ethiopia, there is even greater value addition because you often find yourselves going to multiple stores to find anything that you need to prepare any recipe you may want.&nbsp; But in our case, we could tell you what a retailer does or doesn’t have without you having to go to find out.&nbsp;Q: What do you think is the most important thing that you learned as an entrepreneur from the global pandemic?&nbsp;Always be prepared for a rainy day. You have no idea what is coming around the corner and so the only thing you can do is be as proactive as possible. So expect that the internet might get shut down or a key team member could come down with Covid-19. You need to continue to build these contingency plans to address these things that might happen.In emerging markets, you become quickly aware of what could go wrong or how things can quickly change. It's a daily reality depending on what sector/country you are operating in. I think it just continued to reinforce that for us. Whereas for others who are used to things always working, those individuals were most hit. A lot of things they may have taken for granted weren’t there. I think Ethiopia prepares you for these situations. But you realize that this is a great life skill rather than just the business you are in now.&nbsp;Q: Anything else to say about resilience? Or how to build a resilient company?This is tough because there are different types of resilience. Financial is one but also the mental resilience as well. I think as a leader, you need to stay optimistic during these times because people look up to you to set the tone in terms of how they should feel about their jobs and situations that affect everyone as a whole. So you need to be prepared to help lead them through those times. It's not always about business but also making sure that they are still feeling positive despite the challenges they are facing and letting them know they are not alone in this; that at the end of the day, you will do everything that you can to make sure that this impacts them as little as possible. That helps people continue in their jobs without worrying about what the future might hold.&nbsp; Picture by Ian Christmann: <a href="www.ianchrismann.com">www.ianchristmann.com</a>&nbsp;Disclaimer: This blog is provided as a recounting of the IAN’s and RENEW's interactions with Deliver Addis and the happenings at Deliver Addis. It is not intended as performance data related to the IAN’s investment in Deliver Addis and is not indicative of other companies in the IAN’s portfolio, their social impact or the performance of investments in them. Any discussion of Deliver Addis's achievements, performance or social impact is no guarantee that such outcomes, performance or impact will be realized by Deliver Addis in the future, or by other IAN portfolio companies or other investments managed by RENEW, now or in the future.

Scaling delivery to meet pandemic demands

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An in-depth interview with Feleg Tsegaye of Deliver Addis

Renew Capital Angels invested in Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC, which partners with Universal Courier Services PLC (Deliver Addis) to expand the burgeoning logistics and e-commerce industries in Ethiopia. Deliver Addis is a technology-enabled, online delivery company.

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<h1 style="text-align:center;">Mama Fresh Injera Attends and Speaks at an ACDI/VOCA Workshop</h1><figure class="image image-style-align-left image_resized" style="width:23.27%;"><img src="/uploads/mftc_logo_tm_1_40e48cdd78.png"></figure>Last week, one of RENEW’s portfolio companies, Mama Fresh Injera PLC, had the honor of attending and speaking at a workshop hosted by ACDI/VOCA’s Agricultural Growth Program-Agribusiness and Market Development (<a href="http://acdivoca.org/our-programs/project-profiles/ethiopia-agricultural-growth-program-agribusiness-and-market">AGP-AMDe</a>). According to ACDI/VOCA’s website, the AGP-AMDe program in Ethiopia “uses a value chain approach to strengthen the agriculture sector, enhance access to finance, and stimulate innovation and private sector investment.”The coffee, chickpea, honey, wheat, maize and sesame value chains are all considered to be of the utmost importance to the U.S. and Ethiopian governments, and consequently to the AGP-AMDe program as well. In fact, this program is part of USAID’s Feed the Future initiative, which focuses on reducing global poverty and hunger by accelerating agricultural growth in 19 developing countries.Over the course of the workshop, AGP-AMDe reviewed the progress of their projects in Ethiopia that spanned across the six value chains (coffee, chickpea, honey, wheat, maize and sesame), and showed a new video that outlined the status of the projects in the Amhara region. AGP-AMDe gave certificates of appreciation to partners of ACDI/VOCA, and highlighted the progress of the companies they provided grants to in the various value chains. This includes the sesame unions and associations for honey, pulses and coffee, the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange, and other government and non-government institutions. AGP-AMDe also mentioned RENEW and how private equity investment is helping local business to grow and create a more robust agriculture sector.<figure class="image image-style-align-right image_resized" style="width:40.2%;"><img src="/uploads/img_6262_63e434109c.jpg"></figure>Hailu Tessema of Mama Fresh served as a panelist on Business Enabling Environment: Access to Finance and Investment discussion, along with other companies and cooperative union leaders. Over the course of the panel, Hailu thanked USAID for helping RENEW and the Impact Angel Network (IAN) partner with Mama Fresh, and discussed how RENEW and the IAN have done much more than simply provide access to finance - they have strengthened Mama Fresh as a company. Hailu outlined the changes that have been implemented since the IAN's investment in Mama Fresh, and encouraged the development community to continue to assist local companies partner with investors like RENEW and the IAN. Hailu concluded that while giving grants to local companies is important, private investment (while harder to obtain) makes Ethiopian companies stronger, because it forces companies to adopt new behaviors and disciplines.The work that RENEW and the IAN are doing in Ethiopia with local entrepreneurs would not be possible without the assistance of USAID and our development partners, like ACDI/VOCA.

Mama Fresh's Hailu Tessema participated as a panelist at last week's AGP-AMDe event.

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Mama Fresh Injera Attends and Speaks at an ACDI/VOCA Workshop

Renew Capital Angels invested in Mama Fresh Injera, a commercial manufacturer and exporter of fresh-baked injera and spices. Injera is a staple bread of Ethiopian cuisine and is made from teff, a gluten-free grain.

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<h1 style="text-align:center;">An In Depth Interview with Eyob Bekele of Desta Garments</h1>For more pictures from Desta, download our recent <a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com/uploads/RENEW_2020_2021_Impact_Report_web_5e1a98866d.pdf">Impact Report</a>, and read an abbreviated version of the following story called “Building Community and Industry Despite a Textile Supply Chain Shutdown” on page 17 of the report.When markets shut down in 2020 and consumers in lockdown across the world no longer ventured to malls to shop for the season’s fashions, the global textile supply chain stalled. Ripple effects were felt hard in countries like Ethiopia, which has been investing for years to grow its textile industry to compete with Asia’s manufacturing hubs.&nbsp;Desta, the textile company in which the IAN invested in 2015, was no exception to these hardships. While managing the setbacks of orders being delayed and canceled, Desta founder Eyob Bekele took seriously the high risk of potential virus spread in the factory, doubling down on Desta’s commitment to corporate and social responsibility to protect the jobs and safety of more than 1,300 employees and their supporting local communities.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/eyob_6377d6d2e3.jpg"><figcaption>Eyob Bekele - Image by Ian Christmann: www.ianchristmann.com</figcaption></figure>Here’s what Eyob had to say during a recent conversation.About Eyob’s and Desta’s Experience of the Pandemic... As soon as the pandemic broke out, the major challenge was the cancellation of orders. The second was the stability of workers. Everyone was nervous about how to be in the work environment. We ended up closing the factory for 2 weeks and then came the government policy that said we could not let go of workers. No terminations were allowed. All of that added up to big challenges. Revenues were done. Workers were not stable. And the government policy said that we had to pay salaries.&nbsp;Along with the policy from the government that you were not allowed to terminate jobs, came a policy that said the government was going to be flexible and allow us to use raw materials to produce goods for the local market. The challenge always gives you an opportunity. Because people could not fly, the local market did not have as many resources, materials or products. So that opened up the local markets.&nbsp;Also, thankfully some of our international orders actually increased. The uniforms business helped us get through. Previously, we had orders 6 months in advance. Order flow was a challenge during the pandemic. And we were no longer able to travel to see customers.&nbsp;About Desta’s Expansion... I focused on our expansion in Butajira. We are trying to finalize and organize the Butajira factory. We currently have eight production lines and we are moving to 11. We have a canteen for employees where we make and provide bread and tea. We currently employ 500 in Butajira, making us the largest employer in the area and another 700 at our factory in Addis. This year, we hope to add at least 300 more employees to the Butajira factory.&nbsp;We’ve made a long term commitment to Butajira and are working with the community on several fronts. We distributed masks during COVID. We are currently planning to provide clean water to the community along with educational support and health care. We have started, with our sister company, to move into the construction of a 50-bed hospital. During COVID, we provided 20 hospital beds for the current Butajira hospital.&nbsp;Desta’s COVID-19 efforts... During COVID, we believe that between the Butajira and Addis factory, we have reached more than 200,000 people and communities with COVID-related education and provided more than&nbsp; 150,000 masks to the community free of charge.&nbsp;Pandemic Learnings... 2020 was a challenge all its own. We had to come up with solutions on a day to day basis. We learned how to survive a pandemic including hand washing training and temperature tests for workers. Some of the health efforts will likely remain with us in our factory health practices. It is still not business as usual. Out of the box solutions have helped us survive with production. Flexibility is important. The pandemic has caused us to think differently.&nbsp;Video conference and Whatsapp and telephone have replaced the in person sales meetings. We started a virtual trade show. We now do video chats, virtual tours and virtual audits. Nothing replaces face to face, but we have found a way. Also, travel was a big part of how I learned. Limited travel means limited exposure. To be honest the things I know are the things I saw a year ago. I really miss that piece of travel. It’s a big gap for me.&nbsp;Outlook on the Pandemic in Africa... For me, I do not believe we have not seen the full impact of the pandemic yet. Whatever is happening in the rest of the world, we are yet to see in Africa. So unfortunately we may feel the impact in a year, and we should be prepared for it. Ethiopia is not only experiencing COVID, it has other challenges with economic impact, including the slow devaluation of the currency. We have to prepare for the worst.&nbsp;Commitment to Workers... One thing we decided is that we need to keep our workers. Maintaining the work environment is key. Our employees are the lifeblood of the factory. It may eat into our profits now, but it is key that workers who have been trained stay with us. That is our priority right now.&nbsp;Desta’s Vision... What we have done in 2020, we will continue to do. Our vision is to be the #1 garment facility in Ethiopia, and the preferred partner for garment makers. We continue to be committed to compliance with many different standards. In 2020, we achieved ISO 9000 certification. We are the only one in East Africa with STeP OEKO-TEX certification.&nbsp; Disclaimer: The information included in this blog is provided as a recounting of the IAN’s interactions with Desta and the happenings at Desta. It is not intended as performance data related to the IAN’s investment in Desta and is not indicative of other companies in the IAN’s portfolio, their social impact or the performance of investments in them. Any discussion of Desta’s achievements or social impact is no guarantee that such outcomes or impact will be realized by Desta in the future, or by other IAN portfolio companies or other investments managed by RENEW, now or in the future. &nbsp;

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An In Depth Interview with Eyob Bekele of Desta Garments

Renew Capital Angels invested in Desta PLC, a textile and apparel manufacturing operation located in Ethiopia. The company produces and exports fabric and garments and provides cut-and-sew, knitting and embroidery services to domestic and international clients. Desta is committed to fair treatment of its employees and adherence to guiding principles of sustainability, setting it apart from the trajectory this industry has taken in many other low and middle-income countries.

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<h1 style="text-align:center;">An in-depth interview with Samrawit Moges of Travel Ethiopia​​</h1>For more pictures from Travel Ethiopia, download our recent<a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com/uploads/RENEW_2020_2021_Impact_Report_web_5e1a98866d.pdf"> Impact Report</a>, and read an abbreviated version of the following story called “Seizing Open Opportunities Despite Closed Borders” on page 19 of the report.&nbsp;In January of 2020, Samrawit Moges had a thriving tourism business with 25 years of experience and 60 staff. A female business owner and visionary for gender equality, 40% of Moges’ employees are women, and her company was the first in Ethiopia to hire and train female tour guides.&nbsp;&nbsp;In late 2019, she completed RENEW’s Exec’s Program and received an investment from the IAN Women’s Fund, just in time for the global travel and tourism industry to be shuttered. “The hospitality industry has been hit harder than many other sectors,” Moges explained, reflecting on a year of closed borders, grounded airlines and very few inbound tourists.&nbsp;&nbsp;While travel restrictions to Ethiopia have begun to ease, Ethiopian tourism faces a double struggle of security concerns for travelers on top of the health issues that the industry must overcome. Yet, Moges is committed to standing her ground. Her vision is to continue to diversify her business and open new opportunities that will allow her to weather any future storms she and her employees may come against. “I see a bright future because our mentality has changed for the better,” she says. “We’ve already seen improvement from 2020 into 2021; 2022 will be a great year!”&nbsp;Here’s what Samrawit had to say during a recent conversation.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/IMG_030_2e0d615e0e.jpg"></figure>First, can you tell me how you experienced the pandemic?&nbsp; As we all know, most sectors have been hit by the pandemic and bombed in terms of finance. The hospitality industry is among them, and I am one of them being a tour operator in Ethiopia.We had rented our vehicles to the Ministry of Health to transport their doctors and medicine. The payment is low and slow coming but it’s helping us. We are paying salaries still, and we had two big opportunities in March and April 2021. 2020, we were supposed to have clients coming but it didn't happen. One of the issues we are facing is a double hit as a result of the issues of security on top of the health issues that other countries are facing.&nbsp;Did you have to close your business? Did it affect your employees and income? We didn't have any intention to close the company. The main issue here for businesses can be rent which we didn't face. I used to go to the office 6 days a week before, but now the marketing and sales team are working from home where we installed internet for them. We also provided transport for anyone that came to the office. We didn't have to close our business.&nbsp;How did you adapt to your new way of working? Did you have to change your business model? Yes, I had taken The Exec’s Program at RENEW, and we were trying to implement things when COVID hit. Since my two other managers took the training with me, we worked to completely adopt the whole training which was very effective. We have implemented standard operating procedures, position agreements and an annual management plan. The only thing that the pandemic restricted us from getting done was forming a board.We sent out promotions and video clips which we disseminated to all our clients, and it showed a coffee ceremony and said: we are going to meet again, stay safe. These shows are still working and active despite the issues we faced.&nbsp;Are you familiar with the phrase “Standing Ground”? What does it mean to you as an entrepreneur? I started this business in 1994 in my bedroom when I lived with my mother. When I opened my office, I thought it was the path for me. I believe in starting small and growing big. My fellow Rotarian had given me his first client. The package they purchased was hyena watching in Harar, and while they were watching this spectacle, a hand grenade was thrown, and my guide died. All people said it was a bad omen for my business. But since tourism is my passion, I had to move on from this. I bought insurance for the very small team I had at that time. There were challenges with the family too, but this made me even stronger afterward. I couldn't give up. It’s all in the mind. If I had stopped, I would have given up this business.&nbsp;One needs to be courageous in what they are doing when faced with struggles. This kept me going and never giving up. I realized nothing could stop me.What was the hardest part of the pandemic for your business? One hard thing was understanding the issue when the pandemic hit. Panic doesn't help anyone. People must know how to tackle a problem. Optimism is one of the best things for the human mind. We stayed home for weeks and thought about “what will I do with my business?”. So, I sat and started reading about it. And of course, Matt and Laura provided a ZOOM call on how to survive during a crisis. I then followed many podcasts which helped me to know about COVID and how to work through it.As you look forward, further into 2021, and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, what dreams and visions do you now have for your business growth? We always face a problem getting a booking in the Semien area and the demand is very high. I was planning for our own lodge in that area. Even if I invest in this lodge, I need a partner to help me in managing it. I want to take Travel Ethiopia to the highest place. I would like to bring an expat to manage this business and work on taking it to another level.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This blog is provided as a recounting of the IAN’s and RENEW’s interactions with Travel Ethiopia and the happenings at Travel Ethiopia. This blog is not intended as performance data related to the IAN’s investment in Travel Ethiopia. Information about Travel Ethiopia pertains only to Travel Ethiopia and is not indicative of other companies in the IAN’s portfolio or the performance of investments in them. Any discussion of the performance of Travel Ethiopia or its social impact is no guarantee that such performance or impact will be realized by other IAN portfolio companies or other investments managed by RENEW, now or in the future.

How Travel Ethiopia Navigated the Pandemic

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An in-depth interview with Samrawit Moges of Travel Ethiopia

The Renew Capital Angels invested in Queen of Sheba LLC, a woman-led tourism company which partners with Travel Ethiopia PLC in Ethiopia to provide high-quality ecotourism and safari services.

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<h1 style="text-align:center;">An In-Depth Interview with Valerie Muigai of Kijani Baby</h1>For more pictures from Kijani, download our recent <a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com/uploads/RENEW_2020_2021_Impact_Report_web_5e1a98866d.pdf">Impact Report</a>, and read an abbreviated version of the following story called “Fighting for Women’s Jobs Amidst Uganda’s Strict Lockdown” on page 19 of the report.When the COVID-19 crisis nearly shut down Kijani Baby, the Uganda-based reusable diaper company persisted through every roadblock, ultimately increasing local business, maintaining production and ensuring staff employment and safety, while adhering to regulations amidst one of the world’s harshest lockdowns.&nbsp;Before the world barely knew of a pandemic, Kijani Baby was facing the first of many hurdles. Fabric production in China and imports were halted, abruptly cutting off raw materials for Kijani’s production. Soon Uganda’s very tight lockdowns and transport restrictions paused local operations and sales, while international border closures followed, impeding the business’ ability to fulfill export orders—just as demands for reusable diapers skyrocketed around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2021_07_07_at_5_51_16_PM_bc17b00fe8.jpg"></figure>Around every corner, Muigai and team found a creative and resilient solution. When public transportation was banned, they kept the workshop open with staff who lived in walking distance. When private transport for delivery was halted, they shifted to a local online delivery service. When airlines shut down cargo flights and halted exports, they trialed new ways to move products with DHL. “Everyone on the team stood their ground to make sure that the business came out alive on the other side of the pandemic,” Valerie said. “Now it is exciting to see that growth has picked up again, and we can continue to hire more women, expand our production and expand our brand.”Here’s what Valerie had to say during a recent conversation. How did you and Kijani experience the pandemic?&nbsp;It was quite a year. For us in Uganda, we heard about the pandemic from China because that is where we bought our fabric. Quite quickly, the hardest lockdowns in the world came to Uganda. Thankfully, we managed to keep our workshops open because many of our staff lived within walking distance.&nbsp;Even while operating legally, we were stopped by police while dropping our products to our customers nearby. Around April, our suppliers in China became operational again but before then we were working on keeping the company alive and people paid. April to June, we had very low sales. We had to figure out a way to push out the delivery of our items and push out our inventories.We didn’t let go of our staff. Tailors are paid per item so our costs decreased of course, but we didn't have to let go of anyone. I was always in the office where we taught our staff about COVID, gave everybody masks and sanitizers, and worked to keep everybody safe. Even if there was fear at first, we managed to keep everybody employed.&nbsp; &nbsp;Does the term “standing ground” mean anything to you in light of your 2020 experiences?&nbsp;I am a very determined person and quite optimistic, so every time restrictions came, I remember saying “we can move through anything.” But there was a time when basically nothing was working. That was when our air shipment had been sent back to us, private cars had just been banned and shops had just been closed. And I remember feeling like I had to lower my expectations. January and February 2020 were really great months for us; we had a lot of plans for growth, but I realized I needed to shift my priorities from growth to survival, and growth would come afterward.&nbsp; I don't think there was a time we really considered shutting down. We were all determined to find a way to get through this and stay alive. People needed to keep their jobs. And so many people with day-to-day work had lost their jobs. It was so important for us to make sure that our people kept a source of income during the pandemic, and to make sure that we protected the business so that they can keep a source of income after the pandemic. Those were the two goals that I thought of. Growth doesn't matter right now -- we have to 1) stay alive and 2) keep our people paid. In those few months, everybody on the team pulled together to make sure we continued operating. It wasn’t only me, but the team did stand their ground to make sure that we came out alive on the other side. Not alive as people, but as a business.&nbsp; What was your biggest personal challenge?Keeping everything together. I have three kids homeschooling at home, my husband was stuck in the UK and with the uncertainty of the restrictions, I had to keep the business going. I had to be optimistic for my family and employees and not show this side of me just to keep them going.&nbsp;&nbsp; What was your biggest lesson from 2020?The ability to think quickly, change plans, find a way to make things work; this was felt throughout my team. Persistence and creativity. The year put challenges into perspective. I have been running Kijani for six years, but the most challenging times were the first three months of COVID. I hope the future challenges don’t change life as this one did, but it gave me and my team more confidence that if challenges come, we can find a way to go through them.&nbsp; What’s Next for Kijani?It's exciting to see that growth has picked up again. We are excited to see that we can build the export market, especially in the UK, with our brand story -- that the products are made by women and women are paid well, and the product is reusable. I want to hire more women, expand our production and expand the business.&nbsp;Disclaimer: This blog is provided as a recounting of the IAN’s and RENEW’s interactions with Kijani and the happenings at Kijani. This blog is not intended as performance data related to the IAN’s investment in Kijani. Information about Kijani pertains only to Kijani and is not indicative of other companies in the IAN’s portfolio or the performance of investments in them. Any discussion of the performance of Kijani or its social impact is no guarantee that such performance or impact will be realized by other IAN portfolio companies or other investments managed by RENEW, now or in the future.

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An In-Depth Interview with Valerie Muigai of Kijani Baby 

Renew Capital Angels invested in Kijani Baby, a cloth diaper and baby products company launched in 2013 to address Uganda’s need for modern, high-quality and environmentally-friendly cloth diapers and baby products. The company now sells baby products in Uganda and international markets. Kijani Baby is committed to offering positive employment opportunities for Ugandan women.

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Renew Capital Angels invested in East Africa Emergency Services LTD (EAES), which partners with Tebita Ambulance. The company helps ensure that international and domestic clients have access to reliable, high-quality emergency care in Ethiopia. Tebita is the first private-sector ambulance company in Ethiopia.

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dVentus Technologies is committed to innovating Ethiopia’s energy sector. With funding from Renew Capital, dVentus developed prototypes of energy efficiency products including smart grid solutions, with a view to manufacture and deliver the technologies to Ethiopian utilities and later expand to regional and global markets.

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Renew Capital Angels invested in ET Fresh, LLC (ET Fresh). The Company was founded to increase the branding, value and market reach of Ethiopian products in the Middle East and other markets.

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FC Specialty Restaurant PLC, an Ethiopian food and beverage company, was founded by the owners of Kaldi’s Coffee and Gusto Restaurants in pursuit of developing a quick-service restaurant option for Ethiopia.

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METAD is an Ethiopian specialty coffee company with a vision for crop-to-cup coffee. The Company has strengthened Ethiopia’s coffee brand in the international market, and helped local farmers improve the quality and value of their harvested crop.

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Sadura Food Processing Plant produces quality beverages for the local Ethiopian food and beverage market.

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Krotaj Tahini Manufacturers is an FSSC 22000 certified sesame company that produces tahini from some of the world’s finest sesame grown in Ethiopia’s Humera region.

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Easy Matatu is changing transportation for millions of Ugandans through an end-to-end digital ride-hailing platform for commuters and drivers. The Company leases pre-vetted and inspected vehicles with trained drivers and enables commuters to book safer and more efficient rides through the platform.

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Quest Digital Finance, under the name AkelloBanker, deploys digital platforms that foster digital access to agri products and services on credit for millions of low-income earners. The company’s platform facilitates sales of inputs, provision of advice to farmers on agronomical practices and aggregates farmer data to facilitate provision of credit from financial institutions.

Expanding local manufacturing to propel Africa toward sustainable transportation