Entrepreneurs: Regional Wisdom and Ways

India

Young entrepreneurs in India are receiving the education they need to become successful entrepreneurs through efforts of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and its local partner in India, I Create. NFTE provides teaching programs to help low-income youth stay in school and identify potential business ventures, start businesses that turn their skills, local resources, and ideas into profit generators for a successful future. Training also focuses on specific topics such as building business plans, creating mentoring relationships with successful entrepreneurs, recruiting employees, and marketing products, and gathering local market information.

The NFTE/ I Create program has been operating for 11 years in regions including Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat and Karnataka (Bangalore) in India. It is notable that I Create currently has 71 active teachers which trained more than 1,500 youth. The program has also run small workshops, reaching more than 25,000 youth and women from disadvantaged communities. Clearly, entrepreneurs in India are receiving the proper training they need to run successful businesses, and this field is expected to reach more youth each year. NFTE and I Create are helping to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of many Indian youth, and they are helping youth improve their own lives for a better future.

Bolivia

Bolivians are benefitting from the micro finance industry to improve their lives so they can break the cycle of poverty. In the case of Javier Aguilar Soto, a Bolivian construction worker, husband and father of four, it is evident that microcredit loans positively impact the poor’s everyday lives. Javier lives in rural Bolivia outisde of city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, and he works all day at a construction site, and his while his wife cares for their cows, which produce milk to make their cheese. Unfortunately, one of their sons has a disease of his eyes so Javier’s wife Cecilia travels a great majority of days to reach Cochabamba so her son can receive treatment. Javier and his wife must pay large amounts for visits to doctors, and this takes away from the time Cecilia can spend working on taking care of the cows and making cheese for profit. Javier benefits from the Microfinance Institution (MFI) CIDRE which offers small loans to Bolivians in need. CIDRE helps Bolivians in nine of Bolivia’s states and promote the development of the livestock and agriculture sector. CIDRE also works in rural regions, which is why Javier benefits from its services. CIDRE offers assistance for Bolivians in need of housing loans, credit, and microcredit.
CIDRE makes a difference in the lives of agriculturally dependent rural Bolivians by providing them with essential financial tools and assistance. CIDRE makes it easier for Bolivians to improve their lives and become more self reliant. CIDRE also helps them bring hope for a better future. Without the efforts of CIDRE, Javier and his family would not be able to sustain their farm and take care of their sick child.

Kenya

By cultivating the technology education of local Africans, a greater understanding and better future can be reached through technology and skill building. One Global Economy (OGE), the international division of One Economy Corporation, a non-profit based in Washington D.C, is leading the initiative to build an ecosystem of Community Knowledge Centers (CKCs) where resi¬dents can access relevant technology content through the Internet and receive corresponding training to improve their lives. OGE has launched CKCs in different areas of Kenya including: Pala, Sombeza, Sekenani, and Kogere. OGE created a training curricu¬lum to help CKC managers build their personal busi¬ness skills, technology skills, and community skills. To date, OGE has conducted CKC managers’ trainings in Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa. Topics in the trainings include: revenue streams and busi¬ness planning, the power of social networks, and com¬munity asset mapping. These trainings have been well received by the CKC managers and community members. The trainings have proven to give recipients a drive to succeed with their individual career and community development goals.

Additionally, OGE created a so¬cial network specifically for CKC manag¬ers. The network, http://start.runckc.org, allows the center managers to share their expe¬riences and best practices with each other and post questions and topics for discussion with their instructors. Additionally, the entire curriculum of the CKC manager training is available online through the social network. The curriculum, known as the Community Knowledge Guide, is available in its entirety for download by members of the social network for guidance. This social network allows trainees and managers to discuss their business and career ideas on a professional and positive platform. To date, all the instructors, trainers, and master trainers that participated in the training have registered and signed on to the social network, so it is proven to be an important tool for progress.

Bangladesh

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, was born June 28, 1940 in Eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh), and went on to become an Economics Professor at Chittagong University Bangladesh. Yunus’s mother always helped any poor people that she could, so Yunus grew up with a dream to help the poor. His inspiration to develop micro-credit loans to poor people without requiring collateral came from speaking to a woman who made bamboo stools for a living. The woman would have to buy her bamboo from a middle man, and after having to re-pay him, she was left with little profit. Yunus’s initial tiny micro credit loans came out of his pocket and his practice of offering small out of pocket loans led to the formation of Grameen Bank in 1983.

Ninety-seven percent of Grameen Bank’s borrowers are women. Grameen Bank focuses on lending to women because Yunus felt families would benefit more if loans were made to women. In 2006 Yunus and the Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in efforts to eradicate poverty through micro-credit loans. The Grameen continues to serve 8.29 million borrowers in 81,367 villages throughout Bangladesh, and is helping borrowers people break the cycle of poverty.

The Middle East

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a part of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the U.S. Department of State. MEPI aims “to create vibrant partnerships between America and the citizens of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to empower them to build more pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous societies throughout the region”. As part of its mission to build prosperous societies for the MENA region, MEPI encourages economic and social entrepreneurship to foster innnovation, develop private sectors, and create job opportunities for youth in the MENA region.

One entrepreneur project focuses on women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. This project aims to improve women’s lives by applying business and leadership skills while building economic values to them individually and for their communities. The U.S.-Saudi Women’s Forum on Social Entrepreneurship has been able to partner with Babson College, Wellesley College, and ICF International to build a social entrepreneur program for women. This program is unique in its kind because it is a first in Saudia Arabia. It teaches not only entrepreneurial skills, but also skills to effectively use online social marketing and being an active citizen. Since its inception, the program has motivated 100 women college students to assume community leadership positions. Women involved in the program have been working on creating projects including: advocating and raising awareness of recycling, volunteerism, diabetes, disability rights, and discrimination across the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. By teaching women how to be successful entrepreneurs and active citizens, their futures will be filled with more community activism and demand change for better communities.