Nicaragua: Help the poorest Nicaraguans start sustainable businesses

Project Profile

Total project need: $18,308

Local Project Leader: Byron Flores

Project Sponsor: Trickle Up

Theme: Economic Development

Donation Options:
$10 - SHI provides skills training to one Nicaraguan microentrepreneur to start a business.
$100 - Provides the seed capital necessary to start one business to support a family in Blufields, Nicaragua.
$200 - Enables SHI to train, monitor and support twenty entrepreneurs over a 6-month period.
Other Amount? Send a check to: Sustainable Travel International, 2885 May Street, Hood River, OR 97031

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

Nicaragua is the second poorest nation in this hemisphere, with 65% of the population living below the poverty line. The greatest need is among the rural poor, where dry terrain and stagnant markets make the options limited. Through our local organization, Sustainable Harvest International, Trickle Up provides communities with 1-3 years of training and monitoring in cost-effective, innovative organic farming techniques.

Activities

Poor farmers receive $100 in seed capital, and are trained in organic, sustainable, approaches to agriculture so they can grow healthy food, increase their yield, use biogas generators, increase income for their family, and protect the environment.

Potential Long Term Impact

Over 90% of clients report their business continues one year later. This program provides seed capital, and the skills and confidence that transform people's capacity to generate income for their family, improving the life of 5-7 family members.

Project Message

"The communities in the Kucra River are so isolated, our presence there makes a big difference for the quality of life of these people. Our program there is a great enterprise itself!" - Byron Flores, Program Officer for the Americas

Organization - Trickle Up Program

Mission

The mission of Trickle Up is to help the lowest income people worldwide take the first steps up out of poverty, by providing conditional seed capital, business training and relevant support services essential to the launch or expansion of a microenterprise. This proven social and economic empowerment model is implemented in partnership with local agencies.

Programs

Trickle Up entrepreneurs receive seed grants of $100 ($700 in the US). They receive the first installment of their grant after receiving basic business training and submitting a business plan. They receive the second installment after completing a business report documenting their business activities and demonstrating they have met the program's requirements, including time invested in business, percentage of profits reinvested into business, and agreement to reporting and monitoring.

Team Bios

Byron Flores - Program Officer for the Americas: Byron Flores joined Trickle Up in the summer of 2002 with 11 years of experience in rural development in Latin America, particularly in planning, monitoring and evaluating microfinance, agriculture, and healthcare programs. A native of Guatemala, Flores holds a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University, with a specialization in economic and political development.

Statistics

Founded in 1979
Employees: 20
Volunteers: 30

Contact

Byron Flores,
Program Officer for the Americas
Trickle Up Program
104 West 27th Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
United States
Phone 212-255-9980
Email americas@trickleup.org
Web www.trickleup.org

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