The WIP – WORK IN PROGRESS project was created to support those young people who wish to start a business in their place of origin to give hope to their country, even – and especially – when the context is difficult, marked by profound difficulties economic and social issues.
Helping to get the internal market moving again means opening up job opportunities in places that lack them, and thus triggering a process of rebirth of countries towards a more stable future.
Several countries in the Middle East are experiencing an economic, political and social crisis: the delicate balance between governments and other local political forces has made it difficult for the population to obtain basic necessities; As a result, there are large sections of the population that do not have access to schools, services, jobs. Work is not found and emigration is spreading, especially in countries such as Syria and Lebanon: people are fleeing to look for a more suitable place to build a future, and the country, left to itself, risks not being able to get back on its feet.
The aim of the project is to support the development of new micro-enterprises in the Middle East, to try to act in support of the local economy and labor market: we have created a competition for young people between twenty and forty years old who have an innovative business idea and who wish to carry it forward while remaining in their own country. The thirty selected aspiring entrepreneurs are offered training courses with specialized coaches, as well as personal tutors who support them throughout the construction and management of their projects. The name of the project is inspired by the desire to learn of young people and their ability to adapt and adapt to the course of events: there is no business without the ability to seize opportunities or turn the rudder in the direction of the wind. It's all a work in progress.
The objective of the training courses, lasting three months, is the drafting of a business plan to be presented to a commission that will evaluate the proposals presented and choose the most valid ones that will then be effectively financed. The two days dedicated to the presentation of business plans are known as Pitching Day: the commission meets and selects the beneficiaries who will obtain funding. Those who are taking their first steps in the construction of their business receive funding proportionate to the initiative, collected thanks to various sponsors, while those who already have a more structured project can receive funding or a loan, which they can repay when their activity allows them to do so and which will thus finance new future WIP candidates .
In addition to financial support, the winners are offered other training courses, differentiated according to the specificities of the various companies, at the end of which the young entrepreneurs can start their project, always with the support of coaches and tutors. The strength of WIP is in fact precisely this double mentorship that creates a safety and support network around the young people, essential for finding the courage to invest in a country that offers very few prospects.
WIP has been active since 2021, and to date has allowed 165 young people to attend training courses and 70 micro-enterprises to see the light of day, not counting the numbers of editions still in progress. Over the years, the project has been so successful that it has expanded geographically, losing the characteristics of a local activity and acquiring the characteristics of a project that can be implemented in different countries:
- In Damascus, Syria, the project started in the fall of 2021; To date we have reached the fourth edition. This year, a job help desk was activated – which offers training courses for young caregivers with subsequent job placement, which benefited 17 young people – and a business-focused training course with the possibility of financing the most valid proposals, offered to 30 people out of 1590 who submitted their applications.
- In Beirut, Lebanon, the project started in the fall of 2022; To date we have reached the third edition. The start-up, this year, of 9 new activities and the professional training of 28 young aspiring entrepreneurs was possible thanks to the support of a group of entrepreneurs, executives and managers of prestigious Italian companies.
- In Aleppo, Syria, the summer of 2024 saw the start of the second edition, following the start of work in the summer of 2023.
With the WIP project we claim and show how right it is to invest in young people and their ideas even when they come from desperate situations: they are the first to believe in themselves and in their possibilities, and they deserve to be offered the right opportunities to be able to put them to the test. In this way we support the local economy of countries seriously in crisis, helping the population to get back on their feet and acquire the necessary tools to start again.
