ICC

IACC is a member of International Chamber Federation since 2003










 



























   Our "Impossible is Nothing" Team                                       

NAJAH (Arabic for “success”) stands for “New Alternative for Justice, Achievement and Hope.” This innovative USAID grant program has helped many aspiring entrepreneurs in the greater Baghdad area by jumpstarting their very own first business or expanding their existing business. IACCI implements NAJAH by its brave and talented Iraqi staff… we call them the “Impossible is Nothing” team. IACCI is proud to participate in this life changing program; helping to give local aspiring entrepreneurs a strong chance for “success” in their own business endeavor. 
 

NAJAH Grants Workflow

The NAJAH grants program uses many innovative methods in order to attract the largest number of applicants feasible while still maintaining a minimal level of fraud.  NAJAH seeks to streamline and accelerate applications through the process to insure the widest possible participation in Baghdad.

 Steps necessary before application is complete and grant is awarded:

1. Promotion and public relations campaign

a. Billboards placed at strategic locations in Baghdad to attract applicants,
b. Public relations department with its 35 staff, constantly call on DAC/NAC to build relationship and cooperation with them,
c. IACCI membership department works with chambers of commerce, business associations and trade association to attract their members by designing special packages of grants to address their unique requirements, and
d. NAJAH distributes on the average of 10,000 flyers per month .

2. Telemarketing: Prospective applicants call a bank of phone numbers answered by our telemarketing department where they can hear a brief description of the program.  A date to attend an orientation session is then scheduled for them at our headquarters.  The same telemarketing department calls applicants back for any ongoing follow up needed.

3. Orientation: This part of the process is key. NAJAH is able to process over 100 applicants daily because rather than working with applicants one on one, we have classrooms set up with audio visual aids were we can go through the program details, orientation has 20 -30 applicants per classroom with usually an average of 2 classrooms needed per day.  The classroom has 2-3 sessions and each session is approximately 1.5 - 2 hours.  The sessions cover:

a. What is NAJAH?,
b. How to complete a detailed application,
c. Qualifications like self contributions and number of new jobs that need to be created,
d. Documentations required, and
e. Standards to choose from.

4. Standards: after going through a difficult time trying to decide, for example, how many different ways can a typical barber configure his needs?  We decided to:

a. Do a more proactive approach in studying what a typical successful barber shop needs and how many jobs it will create by going out to the market place and asking several, barbers from their experience,
b. A list of needs is complied,
c. List is compared and priced by our procurement department,
d. A standard is created for barber shops, and
e. Today we have 48 such standards and we are adding more all the time.

5. Grant Officer 1: After orientation, applicants have a one on one meeting with grant officers were we answer any specific questions and above all, we pre-qualify applicants without wasting much time on those we know do not qualify.

a. Home work assignment is given to complete applications,
b. Bring all supporting documentation,
c. Find a suitable store or location for the business,
d. Find 2 cosigners to guarantee the applicant, and
e. Assign a date when they can come back.

6. Applications go through an approval process and a decision is made based on a number of criteria:

a. Experience,
b. Length on unemployment time,
c. Ability to provide some personal finances for project,
d. Education and training that qualifies the person,
e. Number of people to be hired,
f. Does business plan make common sense, and
g. How many nearby businesses are similar in kind and what percentage of the business do they have.

7. Grant Officer 2: Second visit for applicant goes to a second set of grant officers.  Here they:

a. Verify all documentation,
b. NAC/DAC approvals,
c. Are guarantees ok, (we requires two guarantees from government workers only), and
d. Assign date to verify location of work.

8. Outside assessment: This team usually goes three times to location before it is considered complete.  They complete:

a. Site assessment and verify GPS location for area,
b. After applicants complete their contributions, they verify that all items on outlined list are done, and
c. Accompany contractors when they deliver the goods to verify that all items are delivered as specified.

9. Contracting: NAJAH has over 30 contractors.  We have streamlined the process considerably since all standards are identified, specifications complete and we know the pricing in the marketplace.  How do we do it?

a. Each day we pass contracts on a rotation basis,
b. We eliminate bad contractors who deliver late, wrong items, do not go to certain areas or are under funded, and
c. IACCI has over 7000 members and it is easy for us to continue to add more.

10. Verification and auditing:  We have a dedicated team of auditors that check all the work, including:

a. Application complete and on file,
b. Delivery objective completed,
c. Are customers satisfied,
d. No fraudulent work from our staff, and
e. All staff and customer sign an affidavit stating that they do not give or take any bribes.

11. Monitoring and evaluations,: We have one month and three month evaluations to insure that applicants are successful, hiring the correct number of people and in general that they will continue to grow and prosper.  We want to be sure they are helping themselves, their family and their neighborhood.
 

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