'Women helping women': Happiness Project pairs NSCC students with female entrepreneurs in Tanzania
Halima Joy Mbita is passionate about cooking -- a passion she will soon travel halfway around the world to pursue.
The student from Tanzania recently earned a scholarship studying culinary management at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) this fall.
“I’m really honored to get the opportunity,” said Mbita in an interview with CTV Morning Live Wednesday.
“I can’t wait to learn the Canadian culture, the Canadian food and everything. I can’t wait to be with you all.”
She is currently working alongside 14 NSCC students and staff who are in the African country as part of the college’s Happiness Project -- an entrepreneur program in partnership with a Tanzanian college to help women there gain economic stability.
“Our Happiness Project is about women helping women,” said NSCC accounting student Jennifer MacLean.
As part of the project, NSCC students and 21 of their local counterparts are working in groups designing small businesses to be implemented on campus to raise funds and support local entrepreneurs.
“We made our business plans yesterday, and we are actually implementing those businesses and they are open today. They will be open today and tomorrow for services,” said MacLean.
From water filtration plants to banana farms, the group has been visiting women-run businesses in the area.
“We are learning from each other to hopefully raise the standard of living for everyone involved,” said NSCC faculty member Stephen Barrett.
“It’s really special. It’s a great opportunity for both our students and the students here. We’ve learned so much, our students have learned a ton, and we continue to learn beyond what we originally expected.”
Barrett says it will be an honour to have Mbita come and study at NSCC.
“We’ll have to take her out and show her some local restaurants,” said Barrett.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.