Kourage Athletics – A Nonprofit Built on CSR Business Values

There are different ways companies can incorporate CSR business values into its operations. One very critical (and effective) strategy is to practice responsible procurement as it encourages other businesses to consider the social and environmental impact of their operations equally with their profitability. You couldn’t have a successful CSR business plan without responsible procurement because if the businesses you partner are not ethically run then you’d be devaluing your own efforts.

There are businesses that bring responsible procurement to another level that I have written about like EDUN and Seven Virtues. Both of these for-profit businesses consider improving areas in need into their production and procurement strategies. However, there are also nonprofits doing the same thing and giving those in the developing world a means to break free of the poverty cycle on their own terms. One of those nonprofit organizations is Kourage Athletics.

Kourage Athletics t-shirt image courtesy of kourage.org

Kourage Athletics is a “US 501(c)3 nonprofit that reduces poverty through creating jobs in Kenya.” They create jobs by manufacturing apparel designed specifically for running so they are “soft, lightweight, breathable, & employ performance fabrics with a quick dry finish. Tested at the top of Mt. Kenya (15,000 ft) & in the scorching plains of Kenya.”

In fact all their merchandise is manufactured, designed, and managed by Kenyans in Kenya. Kourage does not own or operate a factory in Kenya; rather their production is sourced to a Kenyan owned and operated facility. “The factory employs over 200 Kenyans where each employee works 45-hrs a week, is provided an hour break for lunch, a well lit, cool facility, and jobs that follow minimum wage standards in Kenya.” This means that the garments are made in a facility where the workers are not being exploited and follow internationally acceptable labour standards.

The garments produced by Kourage are then exported to developed nations for sale. The profits from the line are then reinvested into the Kenyan economy.

By providing Kenyans with viable employment Kourage is helping to give them and their families a better future. A steady income and a living wage allow families to afford food, healthcare, and education. These are the cornerstones of being able to provide opportunities for the next generation. In addition to this, Kourage is helping give their employees “valuable training that improve their lifetime earning potential.” This means that they are giving them more than just a job, but a means of improving their lives.

Big ups to Kourage Athletics nonprofit for making a difference by bringing enterprise into a developing economy and for compounding it’s CSR business strategies by reinvesting profits back into that same economy.
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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.