KYBT Youth Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Zablon Karingi Mthaka, a young entrepreneur with Kenyan Youth Business Trust, was named the 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year by Youth Business International. At a ceremony in Hong Kong, Zablon received an award totalling the amount of his original loan, and KYBT received $5,000 to issue further start-up loans to deserving young entrepreneurs. Zablon was chosen among 10 finalists, who were selected from over 50 case study entries from countries as diverse as India, Scotland, Canada, Barbados, and Sri Lanka. Zablon's enterprise, Beta Bins Waste Management, collects domestic waste in Kangemi, a slum outside of Nairobi with a population of 120,000 and an unemployment rate of over 40%.

KYBT provided Zablon with a start-up loan and matched him with a mentor, coffee industry businessman Phillip Gitau. Established in 2003, KYBT is an international chapter of the UK's Prince of Wales Trust that provides young people with personal development opportunities by financing new business and offering mentoring. GBI helps KYBT fight unemployment among Kenyan youth through capacity building and operational system improvement activities.

Says Zablon: " Winning means a reward for my determination, and recognition that my dream of creating a positive impact and achieving a better world is possible."

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