Sahara Communities Abroad (SACOMA)
Sahara Communities Abroad was set up in 2000 by a group of friends who wanted to offer information, advice and guidance (IAG) to Kiswahili-speakers from sub-Saharan Africa.
Although the founders were highly skilled and well educated (they feature MBAs, journalists and certified accountants among their number), they found it difficult to get employment in the UK. So one of the directors took NVQs in IAG services, another took a course in fund-raising and on the strength of this Sacoma received the Millennium Award in 2001, which they used to set up their quarterly magazine, The Reporter.
Sacoma then branched out into training and outreach work, running various workshops to help remove barriers to local people gaining employment. Sacoma also concerns itself with housing and health issues, especially HIV/AIDS and African men's sexual education needs. It has now expanded into a business development agency, running a Business Incubation service, in part financed by a loan of £40,000 from London Rebuilding Society, which offers business loans and all kinds of enterprise support to SMEs (small and mediium-sized enterprises) in East and West London.
Initially a member of the Mutual Aid Fund, Sacoma has now received Community Investment Intermediary (CII) status from LRS under which it acts as a primary borrower for its own individual members and lends on smaller amounts (up to £3,000) to micro-social enterprises.
Contact Details
T: 020 8554 9444
F: 020 8554 3336
E: omar@sacoma.org.uk
W: http://www.sacoma.org.uk/
108 Cranbrook Road
Ilford
Essex
IG1 4LZ