VOA慢速英语2015 世界银行帮助非洲企业转向网上众筹

AS IT IS 2015-02-16 African Businesses Turn to Online Crowdfunding 世界银行帮助非洲企业转向网上众筹

Crowdfunding is a way to raise money from a large number of people over the Internet to support a project. Crowdfunding has become common in many Western countries. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are two crowdfunding websites. Such sites have helped launch Western-operated projects. Yet crowdfunding websites are almost unknown in Africa.

Recently, the World Bank launched a program to help business owners in Kenya make use of crowdfunding. The bank’s Kenya Climate Innovation Center provides crowdfunding mentorship programs for small companies.

A World Bank study found crowdfunding could have a major effect in the developing world. But to raise money through websites, business owners need specific skills.

Edward Mungai works at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center in Nairobi. He says business owners need to be well connected to both individuals and organizations. He says they also need to know how to show their ability to use the money they collect. Finally, he says, they should show how their business would help society.

Three businesses in the program have launched campaigns. One of them is Wanda Organic, an organic fertilizer business. Marion Moon started Wanda Organic three years ago. Like many small African entrepreneurs, Ms. Moon found it hard to finance her business.

So, Ms. Moon says, she decided¹ to try something unusual: online crowdfunding. She says banks would not finance her business in the early days. She had to depend on friends and family to keep her business going.

In some ways, Ms. Moon says, crowdfunding is similar to the more traditional ways Kenyans raise money from their communities.

“I think the word ‘crowdfunding’ is new to people. But the idea or the principle of everybody putting in a little bit to help a project, I do not think that is new at all. So I think one of the things we maybe could have done better is how we linked what people are used to, to this word ‘crowdfunding.’”

Edward Mungai says getting local support for crowdfunding has not been easy. He says most of the money is still coming from Westerners, and not from Kenya.

“Unfortunately, the people who are being reached, they cannot be able to contribute because there is no infrastructure² to contribute.”

He adds that most Kenyans do not have credit cards. Marion Moon notes that those who do have credit cards are worried about online security.

Her Wanda Organic is halfway³ through its campaign. The company has only raised around six percent of its $45,000 goal.

She has one month left to raise enough money to build storage centers for her fertilizer. The campaign has been slow, she says, but she has not lost hope.

Words in This Story

crowdfunding – n. raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, often through websites on the Internet.

mentorship – n. a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable⁴ person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.

organic – adj. grown or made without the use of man-made chemicals

entrepreneur – n. a person who launches a business and is willing to risk losses in order to make money

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

4 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。