United States: Post-Katrina Small Business Help for Delta's Poor

Project Profile

Total project need: $700,000

Local Project Leader: Jonah Gensler

Project Sponsor: Trickle Up

Theme: Health

Donation Options:
$200 - Will help entrepreneurs who have succeeded with the business program expand further.
$1,000 - Will jump start the business of one Delta entrepreneur (training and capital).
$10,000 - Will help 10 businesses get off the ground in Mississippi.
Other Amount? Send a check to: Sustainable Travel International, 2885 May Street, Hood River, OR 97031

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

As people affected by Hurricane Katrina are searching for ways to rebuild their lives, it is crucial that those with nothing - no collateral, no records and even no address - are given the chance to begin again. Many have expressed their desire to start up a business of their own, as jobs are not always easy to come by in the areas of the Delta, already poor areas with high rates of unemployment, where Trickle Up is active. 500 low-income people will be given training and seed capital.

Activities

Trickle Up has 10 partners in the region with dozens of professional business trainers ready to provide support through the Trickle Up business plan training and conditional $700 business grants.

Potential Long Term Impact

Entrepreneurs will grow their business, reduce their dependence on public assistance and increase their family income. Small local businesses revitalize poor neighborhoods and provide vital local services.

Project Message

"A natural disaster called 'Katrina' exacerbated a disaster called ‘deep poverty’. Our response - called 'bootstrap capital' – gets people on their feet with their own business – one step at a time." - Jonah Gensler, U.S. Program Director, Trickle Up Program

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

Jonah Gensler - U.S. Program Director: Jonah Gensler began his community development career in Nicaragua where he worked in rural towns from 1992 to 1997. From 1997-2001 he was the Education Director and Associate Director at Samaritan House, a California, social service nonprofit. Mr. Gensler received his B.A. in Political Studies from Bard College and his M.A. in Public Affairs from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Rebecca Montero - TRAIN Coordinator: Rebecca Montero has assisted aspiring entrepreneurs at Trickle Up for three years. Rebecca Montero coordinates training services in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and New York. She trained the Lower Mississippi Delta business trainers in the months and weeks leading up to Hurricane Katrina. She received her B.A. from Cornell University and her MA from Columbia University.

Statistics

William M. Abrams,
Executive Director
Founded in 1979
Employees: 20
Volunteers: 30

Contact

Jonah Gensler,
U.S. Program Director
Trickle Up Program
104 West 27th Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
United States
Phone 212-255-9980
Email usa@trickleup.org
Web www.trickleup.org

CONTACT US!

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL
2060 FLORAL DRIVE
BOULDER COLORADO 80304

PHONE: 800-276-7764

info@SustainableTravelInternational.org

BUSINESS HOURS: 8am-5pm MST