Help Train Entrepreneurs in Colombian Barrios!

Dear friend of Todos Podemos,


I can't believe that we're already almost half way through 2022. I hope that you've been having a great year so far. As you can imagine, I am writing to give you some news about the project Help Train Entrepreneurs in Colombian Barrios!, which your generous contribution helped fund. In this short report, I’ll talk about 4 of the organizations that your helped us train and who's amazing progress we had the pleasure to witness in our recent monitoring and evaluation visits! Please feel free to reach out if you would like more information on the project, its impact and beneficiaries, or anything at all. We'd be thrilled to hear from you! :)

In May, our team spent some time with each of these community organizations to assess their progress in terms of sustainability and impact, but most importantly to answer their questions and provide them with personalized feedback. Here is a brief summary of the key information we collected during these visits:  

Bio Community: As you may recall from previous reports, their goal was to use recycling as a means to fund their educational and cultural projects, while teaching children and parents to protect the environment. Last time we visited them, they were just beginning to ask the community to collect plastic bottles and egg cartons to help contribute to the organization's funding. Now, they have increased the variety of materials they collect and recycle, and have standardized their processes to save time and space, and to generate a more substantial income for their organization. They have openes a brand new community kitchen and made alliances with NGOs, businesses and the public sector, and are in the process of registering their organization to be able to formalize these partnerships. Bio Community is also providing income to 14 people, including 6 women, who separate and organize the recycling materials, 4 teachers, and 2 recycling personnel, all from the community. As part of their educational and sustainability strategy, the children are incentivized to recycle through a trade program, where they "buy" clothing from the organization with recyclable materials. At the moment, they collect and sell 1 ton per month and receive 1 800 000 Pesos for it (500 USD). This allows them to improve their impact by providing more educational and artistic activities.

Platos Sin Fronteras: On our last visit to see their healthy cuisine workshops for women community leaders in Moravia, Medellín, we were pleased to learn that they had inaugurated 3 new campuses where they cook and teach healthy eating and income generation to youth and community leaders in the towns of Apartado, La Ceja, and Pedregal. They also diversified their markets and now offer their services to companies, who want their staff to receive the training. Another exciting evolution is that they have built a partnership with a larger organization, which provides them with communication and marketing tools and training, enhancing their visibility and opportunities.

As I had mentioned in my last report, Corporación IFT is developing their international network and continues to provide university preparation courses for underserved youth in Medellín and Chocó. Since last time, IFT has made a huge leap toward sustainability. They have partnered with San Cristobal's Center for Social Development, who provides them with physical training facilities, enhanced visibility and legitimacy, and a steady monthly source of revenue. This, as well as an alliance with a German non-profit organization and a strategic change in their staff structure, has helped them fund the training of 20 new trainer, better their impact measurment processes, and prepare 160 teenagers in 8 underserved communities for their University entry exams.  

Fundación Mayunka, which collects and recycles used cooking oil to make decorative and scented candles, now employs 7 people. The first 5 collect the oil and containers, while the other 2 make the candles and coordinate the operations.  And most importantly, they have started to sell their candles! So far, they have given this task to an intern, but they plan on hiring her as a formal sales person in a few weeks. They are renting a new and much bigger space, where they can produce and sell the candles, while holding their organization's environmental activities. The Velaqua candles project helps protect 18 streams, which provide drinking, cooking and cleaning water to 180.000 people in Ipiales, Nariño.

Thanks to your contributions, we have been able to provide support to our past trainees. As you as well aware, starting a venture takes time and effort. And that's even more the case when you are a triple bottom-line organization, who's main interest is their social and environmental impact. 

If you would like to continue helping us assist and mentor our entrepreneurs so that they can consolidate their projects, become sustainable and continue growing their impact in their communities, you can do so by donating on this link: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-train-entrepreneurs-in-colombian-barrios/

If you are interested in learning more about, or help funding the training of Venezuelan migrant women, usually young mothers, looking for a way to start a new life and participate in the Colombian economy, please visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-venezuelan-migrant-women-who-impact-colombia/.

Even if you can't donate right now (which we totally understand), feel free to share these links with friends, family and colleagues and let them know why these projects are so important to you! :) 

As always, I would like to remind you how grateful the team and I at Todos Podemos are for the invaluable support you have brought to our organization. I cannot thank you enough for being a part of this! 


Remember that we aslo periodically publish fotos and videos of our projects on social media, so I invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.  


Best regards, 


Alex Applefield-Alvarez

Links:

• Todos Podemos Website