The New Development Solutions Group


About us > Innovations

The New Development Solutions Group (NDSG) is led by proven innovators in rural economic development and education in developing countries. Since 2001, leadership has been identifying long-standing development challenges and designing and implementing appropriate, sustainable responses.
 
Our successful innovation methodology is derived from creating practical and flexible solutions that address real and perceived needs and offer compelling opportunities. We conduct extensive analysis to ensure that the designed solution and implementation mechanism is one that is appropriate for the local environment and beneficiaries. We emphasize an interdisciplinary, intuitive and non-linear approach whereby all stakeholders both add and derive value. We listen to our clients and "go the extra mile" to ensure that desired outcomes are achieved on both a short and long-term basis.  As David Bornstein, author of “How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas,” states, “social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving." This is what we strive to do every day. Below we have outlined some of our highlighted innovations over the years.

Students creating impact – Social Entrepreneur Corps
Rural access through entrepreneurship – The MicroConsignment Model

Recent highlighted innovations:
Creating a local social enterprise – Soluciones Comunitarias
Leveraging local organizations – The Micro/Maxi Franchise initiative
Community organization information – ParaLaComunidad
Small business information – Empresario Rural
The vegetable gardening guide – Semillas de Cambio
Rural education – The Centro Explorativo
Rural tourism – The El Descanso Businesses
Microfinance borrower training – CrediCapaz
Connecting rural and urban businesses – Expo Ixil
Community health and hygiene awareness – A children’s game and “Rules of my house”
Regional business stimulation mechanism – The Community Entrepreneur Fund
Proposal, impact and media software – Ayudasoft LLC

Students creating impact – Social Entrepreneur Corps

Problem:
Social Entrepreneur Corps was established as a separate entity by NDSG leadership to provide university students and recent graduates with the means to gain a unique social entrepreneurship perspective and developing world field experience. Volunteers achieve concrete field impact while providing additional financial and human resources to local development organizations and small businesses in developing countries.

Innovative Solution:
Through participation in NDSG's innovative, rural development work within a new cultural, language learning and grassroots environment, Social Entrepreneur Corps participants directly and measurably contribute to the MicroConsigment Model initiatives. From a community impact perspective volunteers’ participation benefits organizations, communities and individuals through the following:

  • A contribution of incremental human resource support in the field
  • A contribution of new ideas and fresh perspective
  • A contribution of consulting support in the following areas:
    • Need analysis
    • Feasibility analysis and pilot implementation
    • Organizational and entrepreneurial support
    • Expansion
    • Project, organizational and entrepreneurial evaluation
  • A contribution of motivation for leadership and local constituents
  • A contribution of organizational and field financial support

To learn more about the impact that Social Entrepreneur Corps participants can have during their experience, please click here.

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MicroConsignment EntrepreneurRural access through entrepreneurship – The MicroConsignment Model

Problem:
Roughly six years ago, leadership realized that the profound challenge of sustained poverty in rural areas of developing countries was in many regards not being addressed and thus required innovative new solutions. Understanding that poverty is a symptom, analysis and observation showed us that one of the primary problems causing this symptom is that in a majority of rural villages there is an extreme lack of basic access to both high and low intervention healthcare products/services that can effectively address pulmonary illnesses, gastrointestinal illnesses, vision loss, malnutrition and the like. What we also learned firsthand from working with constituents was that this is not only a health issue but also causes a profound direct and indirect negative economic impact on families. Coupled with very limited new income earning opportunities for capable individuals, it became quite obvious why the cycle of poverty was perpetuating itself.

Upon further analysis we came to realize that there were essential products in existence. There is no lack of appropriate technology stoves, water filters, reading glasses, seeds and the like. The problem was that these basic products simply were not being market tested for appropriateness, for pricing or for transport and thus were only reaching villagers through unsustainable and unrealistic relief project infrastructures (i.e. donations hand delivered by an NGO). Product innovation was not necessarily the primary obstacle.  In addition, we realized that there was both local and foreign latent human capital looking for solutions as well as providers of financial resources looking for a way to solve these  same issues.  And finally, there did and do exist local transportation networks to reach vulnerable communities.

We concluded that with all of these pieces already in place (innovative products, existing funds, local human resources), the real problem was that a holistic product vetting, entrepreneur identification, financing, training, marketing and logistical model was needed. Micro-credit alone wasn’t the solution because it only solved one piece of the puzzle: access to financing. Micro-credit is primarily a solution for existing businesses with a known supplier whereby beneficiaries use credit to buy in bulk in order to lower cost of goods sold. What was needed was a new solution that created access to essential products and services through new jobs where none were previously in existence.  What was needed was a low cost, sustainable solution that was appropriate for the challenging environment and could be scaled in a variable cost manner.  Our search for an innovative solution that addressed these all of these needs led to our creation of the MicroConsignment Model.

Innovative Solution:
The MicroConsignment Model is a powerful solution that creates village-level access to essential products/services while generating a compelling and profitable entrepreneurial opportunity. The MicroConsignment Model, with the augmentation of Social Entrepreneur Corps, is a proven method that is intelligently addressing the problem of access on a daily basis. CE Solutions' continuous development and implementation of this model has helped tens of thousands of villagers gain access to needed products and services and is continually creating new, compelling income generating opportunities. This “Last Mile Solution” is a proven social entrepreneurship model which is being implemented in the most inaccessible communities of rural Guatemala and we believe that it is replicable in any developing country in the world.

Social Entrepreneur Corps participants execute the MicroConsignment Model to establish profitable income generating opportunities (and the infrastructure and network for a national, local social enterprise) for primarily women that to date are selling products such as wood burning stoves, reading glasses, water filters, seeds and gardening techniques,energy efficient light bulbs and solar solutions to villagers at an appropriate price, in the appropriate manner and at the appropriate place.  Through the MicroConsignment Model local individuals with entrepreneurial qualities can start their own business through “sweat equity” and realize profits from inception. We also collaborate with local strategic partner organizations to adapt local solutions and train and support local entrepreneurs who serve rural communities within designated territories. What drives the model is an interdisciplinary, intuitive and non-linear approach whereby all stakeholders add value. The model utilizes a rotating capital mechanism with exceedingly low start-up costs that are continually reinvested. In essence, the MicroConsignment Model intervenes at all levels by creating an “ecosystem” whereby problems are diagnosed and products are encountered/designed which are then inserted into the distribution model via the locally trained and supported entrepreneurs.

MicroConsignment Diagram

Some of the key features/benefits of the MicroConsignment Model are as follows:

  • Local entrepreneurial opportunities are created and previously inexperienced individuals realize a profit within one month of start-up through their investment of “sweat equity.”
  • Individuals are able to “test drive” an entrepreneurial opportunity and do not suffer financially if they decide the business is not suitable or if leadership sees that the individual is not providing sufficient initiative and effort to develop the enterprise.
  • Local entrepreneurs are provided with the capital (consigned products), resources (marketing materials, etc.), training, strategic and tactical support on an ongoing basis with the goal that they gain greater and greater independence.
  • A rotating capital mechanism is utilized whereby the impact of capital/donations is “multiplied.” As villagers pay local entrepreneurs for products/services, the entrepreneurs receive a portion of revenues and the balance is reinvested in new products/services to restock inventory, to cover expenses and to realize a profit for the national company described below.
  • Community problems are addressed by new local businesses thus limiting the need for continuous relief work.
  • Local entrepreneurs gain respect in their communities through their activities and are therefore looked to to provide further beneficial products and services thus allowing them to expand their offerings.
  • A high-quality product/service is assured as the beneficiaries are paying clients who are “voting” for what they want with their scarce resources.
  • Individuals with very little education or limited time can be very successful .
  • The MicroConsignment Model is quickly and inexpensively scalable using a hub and spoke system.
  • Local organizations (artisan groups, NGO’s, micro-credit banks, Peace Corps volunteers, internet centers, etc.) are leveraged.
  • Impact is measurable on an ongoing basis as local entrepreneur activities and income is tracked and the delivery of products/services is easily accounted for on a person by person and village by village level.
  • An elegant mechanism for transferring knowledge is created as local entrepreneurs must be responsive to villager needs and in turn, we must be responsive to subsequent local entrepreneur needs or else the whole initiative fails.

To learn more about MicroConsignment please click here.

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Recent highlighted innovations:

Soluciones Comunitarias logoCreating a local social enterprise – Soluciones Comunitarias

Problem:
Leadership decided several years ago that, while we play a critical role in incubating new ideas, training and growth, a separate, financially and administratively sustainable organization needed to be created to perpetuate the MicroConsignment Model over the long term. 

Innovative Solution:
Following our example of creating the locally owned and profitable tourism businesses in Nebaj, we established Soluciones Comunitarias (SolCom), a locally owned Guatemalan company. SolCom is a social enterprise that is supported by Social Entrepreneur Corps and CE Solutions as strategic partners. While these strategic partners continue to be a source of capital, training and ideas, SolCom is owned and managed by the rural entrepreneurs who have “risen through the ranks” as leaders in the MicroConsingment enterprises. Social enterprises, by definition, are social mission driven organizations which trade in goods or services for a social purpose. Their aim to accomplish targets that are social and environmental as well as financial is often referred to as having a triple bottom line (triple bottom line means a focus not only on profit but on "people” and “planet” as well). SolCom, with Social Entrepreneur Corps' and CE Solutions’ support, will continue to manage and grow the hub (regional coordinators) and spoke (entrepreneurs) system that has been highly effective in achieving social, economic, health and environmental impact to date.

SolCom establishes a brand and brings all of the hard working entrepreneurs under one roof. SolCom enables the owners/entrepreneurs to create multiple income streams, engage in effective cross-marketing and augment their offerings. They will continually increase income, train additional entrepreneurs and consequently deliver myriad necessary products/services to thousands of beneficiaries monthly. The profitability of SolCom will be primarily dependent on increased scale, an increasingly diversifying product mix as well as an appropriate amount of capitalization. Company profitability is assured as, upon sale, each entrepreneur pays a premium to SolCom over their cost of goods sold. This is how the model currently works and greater scale (i.e. more rural entrepreneurs working in more villages) and integration will equate to greater profitability and impact. No change in practices or pricing is necessary due to the formation of SolCom as we have previously used this premium to reinvest in work on the ground and no monies have ever nor will ever be repatriated to strategic partners.

Presently, there are few, if any, competitors for the entrepreneurs and SolCom. The products and services within the MicroConsignment initiatives address market failures and are all “first movers.” Unfortunately, the only current competition continues to be NGO donations; however this has not proven to be an obstacle to success. This is in no small part due to the fact that local people, speaking the local language andoffering new products and a high-quality service are more adept at serving local clients. As well, the barriers to entry for new competitors are high. It is extremely difficult to build a network such as the one that has been established by SolCom over the past few years and as the entrepreneurs continue to establish stronger community relationships and trust by providing more and more needed products/services in their territories, the barriers to entry will become higher. 

In conclusion, creating economic and social impact at all levels is imbedded in the DNA of the MicroConsignment Model and its implementation mechanism, the social enterprise SolCom. The primary short term challenges confronting our further development and growth of the MicroConsignment Model are limited time and financial resources. Over the long term we see no significant challenges if the short term challenges can be overcome. Upon creating further success in Guatemala as well as in-house and third party success in a number of additional countries, a critical mass will be reached for the model. This will allow this unique solution to be a powerful lever helping to release innumerable rural villagers from the cycle of poverty.

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MicroFranchiseLeveraging local organizations – The Micro/Maxi Franchise initiative

Problem:
In addition to working with primarily women entrepreneurs, we recently identified new opportunities to create enhanced leverage and, as such, increased scale. Whereas in the past we have implemented the MicroConsignment Model working with local organizations and associations almost exclusively to identify budding women entrepreneurs, increased potential to work with a growing number of local organizations using a full service organizational franchise approach was identified in the beginning of 2008 when needs assessments of local organizations done by Social Entrepreneur Corps interns indicated that almost 100% of local development organizations had no genuine source of income, aside from few and far between donations, obviously limiting opportunities for self sustainability.

This organizational franchise approach creates incredible leverage whereby all stakeholders are responsible for activities where they add the greatest value. As well, a sense of ownership is created and increased scale is generated in a low cost manner. Social Entrepreneur Corps and CE Solutions is able to more effectively and efficiently achieve its mission, local organizations are provided with additional revenue streams and are viewed as more positive contributors to their communities, individual entrepreneurs have new opportunities and income sources, and local villagers have greater and more consistent access to essential services and products.

Innovative Solution:
There are two elements to the organizational franchise approach: the Micro Franchise and the Maxi Franchise. Each approach works effectively with organizations such as libraries, micro-credit institutions, weaving associations and the like. The first step in working with organizations is to establish a Micro Franchise. A Micro Franchise essentially acts as an entrepreneur, receives a kiosk (see picture above) on consignment and sells products and services to its existing constituents. Upon successful work as a Micro Franchise, organizations can then become Maxi Franchises whereby they take on further responsibility and train their own entrepreneurs to execute village campaigns. CE Solutions and Social Entrepreneur Corps provide all of the appropriate products, services, training and materials to ensure that all parties have the greatest opportunity for success.

Based on proven success and growing visibility as a high-impact, value-added service provider 16 organizations have been established as either Micro or Maxi Franchisees to date and numerous organizations are now seeking to establish micro franchising arrangements.  We view this new distribution channel as a means to create impact for tens of thousands more people in the coming years.

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ParaLaComunidad logoCommunity organization information –ParaLaComunidad

Problem:

  • There exists significant overlap between NGO work and missions and thus unnecessary replication.
  • There is a lack of communication between NGO's and organizations working in Guatemala toward similar goals of positive social change.
  • There is a lack of organized information regarding Guatemalan NGO's or a database that has sufficiently collected the information of organizations country-wide. Either such information does not exist, or it is available in fragmented fashion that is difficult to navigate. As such, it is nearly impossible to search for a Guatemalan NGO by desired category or region.
  • Community members have no means to access information about organizations working in their regions.

Innovative Solution:
The creation of a website called ParaLaComunidad.com (“for the community”) provides appropriate and well-organized access to the extensive network of Guatemalan organizations that address community needs. This involves an extensive effort by Social Entrepreneur Corps participants to collect useful information from local and international NGO's and other organizations throughout the country. This will greatly enhance the currently prohibitive process of locating organizations for both individuals and other organizations alike.

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Empresario RuralSmall business information – Empresario Rural 

Problem:

  • Guatemala suffers from a complete lack of available resources for small business owners. 
  • Entrepreneurs and business owners throughout Guatemala lack the education, information and resources to become more successful in their business enterprise.

Innovative Solution:
Leadership recently decided to launch a small business resource website and newspaper called EmpresarioRural.com ("rural entrepreneur”). There is currently no appropriate access to helpful business information for rural Guatemalan small business people. It is CE Solutions' and Social Entrepreneur Corps' goal to change this through the creation of a small business newsletter distributed throughout rural Guatemala by the current women entrepreneurs and through organizations. This newspaper is complemented by a comprehensive free website with more in-depth information and resources. By taking advantage of years of experience in the field, the aggregate knowledge of staff, leadership and interns, and the fact that rural internet centers are now the norm rather than the exception, the concept is to help small business people fill in their gaps in knowledge. As well, by having the entrepreneurs act as distributors they can learn new business concepts and enhance their credibility in the field. By working with local organizations and through the growing network of entrepreneurs, we believe the newspaper can deliver necessary information quickly and efficiently to villagers and create an additional revenue stream through advertising once distribution channels are established to these unique markets. The key features/advantages of this initiative are as follows:

  • Micro-finance institutions are continually looking for ways to teach their constituents new business knowledge/best practices. Empresario Rural will provide a vehicle for them to achieve this goal.
  • CE Solutions and Social Entrepreneur Corps are continually searching for ways to provide efficient training to MicroConsignment entrepreneurs/micro franchisees. As these individuals will be the primary source for distribution, they will be learning as they are handing out newsletters.
  • Village-level business people currently have no access to business information. All other distribution mechanisms aside, MicroConsignment entrepreneurs/micro franchisees are visiting up to 40 villages a month and can create access that leverages off of their current businesses. This will also further establish these individuals as credible and respected village-level problem solvers.
  • The MicroConsingment Model presently relies on a “push” strategy (i.e. we go to the clients). As SolCom will be advertising its products and services in Empresario Rural, more and more clients will be “pulled” and be calling/requesting services/products. This should increase revenues, create greater impact, help us to better serve self-selecting target markets and lower distribution/transportation costs.
  • There are projected ample suppliers of goods and services as well as NGO’s who should be desirous of  reaching markets at the village level (the base of the pyramid). This could include cell phone providers, trainers, relief organizations, consumer products distributors, etc. Given that there are no local level print advertisers, Empresario Rural will be a truly unique media outlet.
  • Rural internet centers now abound in certain areas of developing communities, however, relevant and appropriate content is still lacking. Empresario Rural will provide a means by which rural small business users can now get pertinent information that speaks to them. The newsletter should also pull infrequent and new users to these internet centers.

Visit EmpresarioRural.com for a first hand view of this innovation.

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The vegetable gardening guide – Semillas de Cambio

Problem:
Many farmers and families have expressed interest in diversifying their gardens or farms to increase their profits. However, they are concerned about the cost of different seeds and are afraid of trying to grow vegetables about which they have limited knowledge. 

The majority of families who live in the rural areas of developing countries live a day to day subsistence existence. Access to different types of vegetable seeds in small quantities often does not exist as local agricultural stores do not offer a diverse selection of seeds in quantities appropriate for single families. People who are able to purchase seeds often do not have know how to plant and care for their seeds and garden. For these reasons, many familias in the developing world do not have home gardens and are less able to provide a healthy, well-balanced diet for their families.  

According to UNICEF, Guatemala has the worst rate of infant malnutrition in all of Latin America and the sixth worst rate in the world.  These statistics are a result of various factors, such as:

  • Lack of access to health and nutrition programs
  • Insufficent money to buy healthy foods
  • Limited or no education about the importance of being healthy and having a well-balanced diet

Longterm malnutrition creates many problems, such as:

  • Poor growth and development in children
  • Higher susceptibility to diseases and illnesses
  • Increased probability that undernourished children will not be able to reach their full potential or receive all the benefits of their education
  • Inability to support oneself financially

Innovative Solution:
With the initiative Semillas de Cambio (“Seeds of Change”):

  • We provide local families with access to a variety of different high quality vegetable seeds in small quantities. This allows families to purchase just the amount they need which in turn allows for crop diversity with less investment and risk. We offer ¼ ounce packages of radishes, beets, onions, cucumbers, coriander, carrots, broccoli, green beans and green cabbage. 
  • As a complementary product, we also offer an image based guide that explains how to plant, care for and harvest the plants as well as educates about the nutritional value of each vegetable. The guide gives clear explanations with photographs on how to plant, tend and harvest the vegetables and care for the garden. It also includes descriptions on the nutritional value of each vegetable and how each helps to create a healthy body.

    Through this innovative solution:
  • Families have the ability to grow more diverse and nutritious gardens resulting in improved diet and health.
  • Families have the opportunity to maximize precious land, growing effectively on whatever plot they have available.
  • Image based guide allows for use among semiliterate constituents.
  • Small family surpluses can eventually be sold to generate additional family income.
  • Communities have improved agricultural knowledge base and can make better informed decisions on investments and yield estimates.

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Rural education – The Centro Explorativo

Problem:
Improvements in education have long been seen as a key factor in the reduction of poverty. And yet, it remains that the regions which suffer most under the yolk of poverty receive the smallest investment in their education. This is particularly true of the Ixil region of northwestern Guatemalan, a region that has experienced terrible hardship during the country’s recent civil war and that continues to show some of the lowest levels of development and education in the western hemisphere.

Education, literacy training, and other forms of human capital generation are vital factors in not only reducing poverty but in strengthening local communities. The uplifting moral effects of education have also been noted by philosophers and spiritual leaders from all over the globe. Yet education and human capital remain in lowest supply in precisely those poor regions of the world that most desperately need them.

Social scientists have tried to explain this seemingly baffling state of affairs by demonstrating how poverty can generate its own vicious cycles. For example, in the Ixil region of northwestern Guatemala the reasons most commonly cited for leaving school are, at base, economic:

  • lack of materials necessary for study
  • lack of funds necessary to buy material and pay tuition
  • unavailability or poor quality of local schools
  • lack of time due to the need to work and generate a subsistence income

The poverty of the region thus prevents its people from receiving an education and yet it is this same lack of education which prevents them from eliminating their poverty, effectively locking them in a vicious cycle.

In the Ixil region of northwestern Guatemala the situation is truly grim. Only half the population between the ages of 7 and 14 attends grade school on a regular basis and of those who attend perhaps only 70% will graduate. This means that a mere 35% of the population will achieve what in the U.S. would be considered an 8th grade education. Though recent statistics indicate that the situation is improving along generational lines, the Ixil triangle remains one of the most under-educated, under-funded and under-developed regions of the western hemisphere.

Innovative Solution:
Although there are dozens of schools (ranging from primary school to a teachers college) in Nebaj and the surrounding villages, not one of them has a library, a computer nor any resources to speak of. The few libraries in town have very few books, most of which are either antiquated or exclusively reference material. Most schools simply have classrooms filled with desks and a chalkboard. Textbooks are often “required” but most children and youth cannot afford to buy them. There is no public schooling and families must pay a monthly fee to send their children to school.

As a result of this situation CE Solutions began to work in the region with local educators to devise a solution, if only an incremental one. Tackling the problem of inadequate resources in schools was obviously an insurmountable task. Understanding the environmental, logistical and financial challenges described above along with the inherent problems embedded directly into the educational system in Guatemala, CE Solutions endeavored to create a unique educational model that could be implemented in rural communities in Guatemala and beyond. Strategy dictated that we first secure a small centralized building that could truly be seen as a community resource. By creating a center that was stand alone, instead of in or directly related to a specific school or community, we learned that we could provide an access point and resource center that could be accessible and inviting to a larger constituency. As well, we knew that if we were able to focus our efforts within this center and structure programs and specific educational initiatives designed to allow local children, youth and adults to truly explore new opportunities and ideas that could be accessed through this center, we would be able to create a very positive and potentially exponential impact in an entire region. Once structured, simply providing local resources and trained leadership and a well measured and relatively small investment in initial infrastructure followed by a minimal monthly budget to cover operational costs could be the solution we were looking for.

Central + Exploration = Center for Exploration
In Spanish:
"Centro" + "Explorativo" = EL CENTRO EXPLORATIVO

Armed with this unique idea and model, the first "Centro Explorativo" (the Centro) was established in Nebaj, Guatemala in February of 2003 through the combined efforts of CE Solutions leadership, motivated local educators and with the financial contributions of El Descanso Restaurant and the First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, New Jersey. An education center that any child from any school could have access to was now a reality and the Centro Explorativo became a solution to a long standing local problem.

By accomplishing the following concrete short-term goals and using stated objectives as guiding principles to work with educators and community leaders on a local level,  we were well on a path to creating a long term solution to this issue. These short-term objectives and guiding principles include:

  • Providing access to educational resources (reference material, internet, etc)
  • Providing community outreach and training on how to use such resources
  • Providing supplementary after school classes for local children to inspire creativity and assure functional literacy
  • Diffusing the modern educational techniques used in such classes by training local teachers
  • Obtaining feedback from the community and holding local stakeholders responsible for successes and failures

Resources
If the Ixil region’s students and children are to obtain a competitive modern education, they must have access to the critical didactic research materials upon which such an education is contingent. One of the Exploration Center’s primary goals is to provide the Ixil region’s population with access to:

  • A wide range of books and research materials including:
    • Encyclopedias, dictionaries, training manuals, and reference books on mathematics, science, health, economics, literature, conservation, the Spanish language and other relevant topics
    • The Internet
    • Computer processing programs (Word, Excel, etc.)

Training and Outreach
Simply providing access to such materials is not enough. Local people must be informed of the existence of such resources, trained on how to use them, and encouraged to take advantage of them. CE Solutions and SE Corps pride themselves on their excellent relationship with the Nebaj community, regularly conducting outreach activities in coordination with the region’s schools and institutes. The Exploration Center maintains an open, friendly environment, which aims to welcome local inhabitants and provides mandatory library and computer/internet training to all of its clientele.

Supplementary After-School Classes
In order to ensure that local children obtain something more than mere functional literacy and numeracy it is necessary that they are given fun, participatory classes which challenge their modes of thinking and encourage them to develop their creative energies. The Exploration Center’s classes focus on reinforcing the basic math and reading skills that are taught in government-run schools. At the same time, the teachers, who have been trained in professional US teaching techniques, try to encourage lateral thinking, stimulate creativity, and inspire a life-long love of learning and reading.

Obtaining Feedback From the Community
Leadership has formed a PTA type organization with the parents of the children and young people that use its services. The purpose of this organization is to assure that we are meeting the community’s needs, to obtain ideas on how to improve our services, and to assure that we are reaching the largest number of people possible.

Diffusing Educational Techniques and Teaching Methods
To be an “educational incubator” of new ideas and concepts for schools and projects throughout the region, country and for other rural communities in the developing world, we are training local teachers in the most modern and effective educational techniques.

Obtaining Feedback From the Community and Holding Local Stakeholders Responsible for Successes and Failures
Eventually CE Solutions would like to expand its educational operations in the more isolated communities of the Ixil region and perhaps beyond. In order to do so we must be sure that we are constanly receiving feedback from local community stakeholders and adjusting our model accordingly to ensure efficient investments of limited funding.

Given the variety of the challenges in the educational environment of our constituency, CE Solutions and SE Corps have focused their efforts on four specific educational initiatives designed to efficiently and effectively leverage resources (including human resources) while directly combating core failures in the local educational system and providing the maximum community impact possible. 

  • Afterschool Program
  • Computer and Internet Literacy
  • Adult Education
  • Library/Resource Center

Please visit the links below for more detailed descriptions the educational initiatives of "The Centro Explorativo."

 

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Rural tourism – The El Descanso Businesses

Problem:
Upon arriving in Nebaj in April of 2001, SE Corps co-founder Greg Van Kirk noticed that although many travellers would come to Nebaj for the amazing hiking and to experience the unique culture, they would only stay for one or two days at most. This was because there was no central place where travellers could hang out, share stories and make friends. Moreover, although there were several restaurants in town, they all offered the same basic menu, drab atmospheres, bad service and no music. From these observations and this perceived need/opportunity came the idea to start a new kind of restaurant: a place where both travellers and locals would want to go that would offer international cuisine, a good atmosphere, great service and a variety of music. A place that would create well paying jobs, could be locally run and owned after a period of investment and training and that would create new income for the community by encouraging travellers to stay a few more days. A place that would bring more tourism to Nebaj, help create more tourist based businesses in the community and create an image for Nebaj as one of the places to go for the adventurous traveller.

Innovative Solution:
Our leadership’s first innovation goal in 2002 was to establish a locally-owned group of unique tourism businesses in a rural area in order to create well-paying jobs in a respectful environment and provide a continuous engine of growth and development for the community for years to come. To date, the Nebaj El Descanso tourism social enterprise has been running profitably for nearly seven years, is entirely owned and run by Maya Ixiles and has generated revenues of over $550,000. In the tough economic times of 2007 and 2008 alone these businesses earned nearly $150,000. These businesses (including a restaurant, trekking service, language school, internet center and hotel) have been and continue to be the biggest generator of new capital (tourism income) for the entire region. No other development project has come close. The revenues generated from this one initiative are more than twice our entire funding and budget since we began our work in Guatemala. Given that the average Maya Ixil earns roughly $3 a day, this is equivalent to over 183,000 days of revenue.

To learn more about the El Descanso Businesses please visit Nebaj.com.

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Microfinance borrower training – CrediCapaz

Problem:
It has been estimated that there are 500 million economically active poor people in the world operating microenterprises and small businesses. Most of them do not have access to adequate financial services.
 
Banks are the institutions people normally associate with financial services. Competition forces banks to offer services their customers want at competitive prices. In many countries, however, there is little or no competition, and banks may or may not meet the financial needs of community members.

The majority of poor families and individuals around the world have no readily available affordable financial services. In many rural areas, banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions are nonexistent. The formal financial institutions that do exist do not consider the poor credit-worthy because they lack collateral to secure loans. This is especially true of women, who in a number of countries own no property or fixed assets due to legal restraints or cultural norms.

The financial institutions that do offer credit to economically active poor people not only charge high rates of interest, but they also do not provide the adequate financial management counselling necessary to help those that receive credit.  There are very few reliable institutions that provide reliable credit counseling where it is needed most. 

Innovative Solution:
CrediCapaz offers an opportunity for credit recipients to receive training in techniques to efficiently manage their income generation activities and become involved in an advanced form of savings-based community banking that will help them break out of the poverty cycle.

  • Small business training and loan education not only allows family members to manage credit received through financial institutions and earn higher wages but also enables them to better manage the family’s scarce resources.
  • By acquiring productive assets through savings, small grants, or affordable microloans, a family can increase their capacity to produce income by starting or expanding an income-generating activity. A small amount of capital is all that is needed to purchase a bicycle to get produce to market or purchase raw materials to make handicrafts or other homemade items to sell. A little additional income can make a big difference. It is difficult for people without education to find employment, and self-employment or microenterprise is thus the only option for millions of poor people. Lack of capital to acquire equipment, raw materials, seeds and fertilizer, or farm animals is often an insurmountable barrier.

Around the world, millions of low-income entrepreneurs are building better lives for themselves and their families by starting and expanding small businesses. The vast informal sector of the economy is comprised of microenterprises—microbusinesses with one to 10 workers, including the owner. Poor families launch microenterprises to generate income, build savings, and acquire assets as a cushion against natural disasters, illness or death, and other crises. As these enterprising households pull themselves out of poverty, they can increase their access to safe drinking water and more nutritious food, improve their housing, and educate their children. It is our goal to support these entrepreneurs in their struggle by providing the small business and micro-loan training necessary to truly excel and generate income.

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Connecting rural and urban businesses – Expo Ixil

Problem:
The Ixil Region is located in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. While known for its beautiful mountainous landscape and the unique cultural offerings of its indigenous, the Ixil, the area has remained economically isolated. In addition to its geographic isolation, the Ixil Region was also one of the worst affected areas during the 30-year civil conflict. This has resulted in a communication gap and, as such, a lack of opportunities for producers of high quality products and services in this area to promote their products in neighboring towns and beyond.

Innovative Solution:
In an effort to bridge this communication gap, Social Entrepreneur Corps leadership designed, organized and executed "Expo Ixil." This was the first economic forum of its kind to be held in the Ixil Region. Over 100 local producers of good and services participated in the event and were given the opportunity to present and display their products to groups of buyers from national and international markets. Guatemalan President Oscar Berger was the keynote speaker. Our goals for Expo Ixil were simple:

  • To introduce buyers/arrangers from the US, Guatemala City and Antigua to the Ixil region
  • To introduce producers of the following products and services to potential buyers/arrangers from the above stated areas:
    o       Artisan products
    o       Tourist packages
    o       Dairy products
    o       Fruits and Vegetables
    o       Coffee

  • To create links between the two above mentioned groups and foster an environment and structures whereby they may work together in the future
  • To create an enjoyable atmosphere and activities
  • To set up forums whereby both buyers/arrangers and producers can speak openly about their work and vision in the Ixil region and beyond
  • To create concrete benefits for both groups
  • To set the foundation for future Expo Ixils
  • To demonstrate that USAID has a profound interest in the development of the region
  • To begin to build the foundation for future growth in the region

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Community health and hygiene awareness – A children’s game and “Rules of my house”

Problem:

  • Only 24 of the 331 municipalities in Guatemala treat their water.
  • Guatemala has the highest rate of water-borne illnesses in children younger than 5 years of age. It is also considered to have the worst access to water treatment installations.
  • In 2000, diarrhea-based illnesses were the 2nd highest cause of death in developing countries. The #1 cause of death was respiratory illness. There are currently no plans to install water treatment plants in many rural communities.
  • In rural areas, the population spends almost 50 percent of their income buying medicines for diarrhea and water borne illnesses, a percentage which would be greatly reduced by the availability of clean water.
  • Due to the chronic lack of infrastructure, about 95 percent of the country does not treat the sewage, which pollutes rivers, lakes and wells.
  • According to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of Guatemala, during 2006 there were 356,668 cases of diarrhea in the country. Of these, 1,225 ended in the death of the patients.
  • Studies in recent years show that 90 percent of freshwater bodies in the country are contaminated with fecal material, says Yuri Melini, director of the Center for Legal, Environmental and Social Action Center of Guatemala.

Negative effects on the family economy

  • Water-related diseases such as diarrhea and parasitic infections cost 443 million school days each year—equivalent to an entire school year for all seven-year-old children in Ethiopia—and diminish learning potential. Inadequate water and sanitation provisions in schools in many countries are a threat to child health and learning potential.
  • Parasitic infection transmitted through water and poor sanitation retards learning potential for more than 150 million children worldwide.
  • The time women spend caring for children made ill by waterborne diseases diminishes their opportunity to engage in productive work.
  • Waterborne diseases reinforce deep and socially unjust disparities, with children in poor households facing a risk of death some three to four times greater than children in rich households.

Innovative Solution:
By creating a children's game about hygiene we have established an interesting and exciting way for parents and educators at the local level to promote healthy hygiene habits among children in rural communities. In addition, this game is a great mechanism for:

  • Increasing awareness about health and hygiene issues related to water and the oral fecal cycle
  • Assessing village/individual knowledge about the causes of diarrhea and related sickness
  • Assessing current habits related to these issues taking place in homes in the community
  • Assessing consequences of diarrhea and related sicknesses
  • Assessing effectiveness of our materials and talks
  • Looking for new and creative ways to address these issues

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Regional business stimulation mechanism – The Community Entrepreneur Fund

Problem:

  • Due to the high level of destruction of housing stock, infrastructure and existing industry during the civil war, the population had fled the region of Bosansko, Grahovo, Bosnia-Herzagovina and most had not returned.
  • Despite considerable reconstruction, most villages still lacked electricity, running water or health services. 
  • Most donor organizations had moved on and were focused on more recent regions in need.
  • Employment was virtually non-existent with more than 90% of returnees to the area unemployed.
  • Those who did have income generating activities relied primarily on limited personal livestock assets. As such, what was once a supplemental source of income had now become a primary source of income. 
  • There was no access to credit nor any administrative body to create such access.
  • There were ample good business opportunities such as milk production but no concerted effort to stimulate them.

Innovative Solution:
In September 2006, Social Entrepreneur Corps leadership was contracted by Church World Service to work with its partners in Bosansko, Grahovo, Bosnia-Herzagovina to create income generation projects in this region still struggling to emerge from the recent civil conflict. Leadership created the “Community Entrepreneur Fund” model, designed to create intelligent income generation opportunities that mobilized local leaders and individuals. The model was created to be an effective training/capacity building, opportunity identification, evaluation, capitalization, and administrative mechanism to establish a rotating fund to be utilized by community members over both the short and long term. The objectives of this model are to create structure that:

  • Produces improved standards of living for a continually growing number of rural beneficiaries
  • Offers community members an opportunity to choose which businesses and commensurate financing terms are appropriate on an opportunistic basis
  • Allows leaders on a community, regional and organizational level to concretely contribute to the feasibility analysis, selection, reporting, administrative, and oversight process in a highly-integrated manner
  • Encourages all stakeholders to collaborate on both a strategic and tactical level
  • Creates both administrative and financial sustainability on all levels
  • Rewards beneficial processes and positive results on a community and individual level
  • Builds on current entrepreneurial strengths while mitigating and/or improving current weaknesses
  • Creates a mechanism which will foster intra- and inter-community communication regarding challenges, solutions and opportunities

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Proposal, impact and media software – Ayudasoft LLC

Problem:
Foundations and granting organizations are continually asking themselves:

  • How can we more effectively solicit, review and evaluate program proposals and progress?
  • How do we simultaneously capture and tell about our positive community impact?
  • How can we make sure that the programs we fund are following a standard performance measurement methodology?
  • How can we be continually demonstrating that we offer a high value add to both internal and external stakeholders?

Innovative Solution:
Ayudasoft has created its Impact and Media Manager (IMM) software solution to help professionals working in the non-profit sector create, capture and convey their community impact. Whether an organization is a foundation, a granting organization, a university study abroad office or even the smallest community non-profit, it needs to show evidence to donors that the resources they have provided efficiently and effectively produce benefits for targeted beneficiaries. The scope may differ but the challenges remain the same. Ayudasoft IMM is a uniquely intuitive strategic tool to help you achieve your goals and can be easily and quickly modified to address your specific needs. Ayudasoft IMM differs from what the market currently offers in that it includes a web-based, remotely accessible, multi-user solution which integrates:

  • Proposal creation, submission and progress monitoring
  • Logic model design and modification
  • Media generation including point and click slideshow and storyboards design

Whether you are an individual non-profit managing one program or a United Way challenged with soliciting proposals from and tracking a database of 100 programs, Ayudasoft IMM is the appropriate response.  

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