Microenterprise strategies

Howdee everybody,

I'm trying to connect with dominicans or forum members who may work with or interact with rural commmunities in the DR and whoo have experience in business. I plan to work within rural communities in the sustainable development field,especiallly in the area of microenterprises,as one initiative to help reduce poverty in those areas.

At the moment, I am trying to work on a strategy for implimenting microenterprises in a way that ensures that the rural population has as much decision and implimentation power as the external "experts".
It is with this strategy that i am having probs with. If I were in the DR it would be easier because I would sit down with community members and have a rap session on how best to get stuff done, but I'm not there yet(many set backs). However, I'm always a believe that even if a plan can't be implimented in its full capacity at the present time, that doesnt mean that there arent things that can be done to help get the ball rolling and help make the real implimentation of the plan more effective by the time all the chips are in place. So I turn to one ofthe best alternatives : public forums, and the wisdom that exists within

And so, to my point: Because there are no set rules regarding how to strategise for implimenting a microenterprise project, often times whatis needed is a rap session kind of setting where ideas are thrown around and little by llittle a strategy is evolved.So I'd like to invite any interested persons who may want to throw around a few ideas that could help develop such a strategy. And perhaps you may end up being sufficiently interested to the point of wanting to work within the communnity itself, which, by the way, is extrememly fulfillling.

Now i realise i have left out a lot of information that might make all this clearer. Sustainable development isn't asy to explain in one sitting.. It is such a multifauceted field. So, just email me or reply to the post and little by little you'll get a better understanding.



Thanx in advance.

poverty and microenterprise, prepare for a long read

Hey, what excellent responses !!!!Thanx everybody.

Well, lemme first introduce mmyself generally. My name is Handel Callender, and I live in Barbados, but I spent some time in the DR last year.
We were volunteering in a rural community in the Monte Plata region. After a while, I started to feel as tho there was so much more to be doing, and I decided, after I got back home, to try to work on some kind of initiative that is based on empowering local ppl in poverty stricken areas in the DR.
One of the most basic ways to help ppl in poverty is to help them earn their way out of it.
However, I don't take poverty to mean just a lack of access to financial assets. My definition, and a lot of other development orgs. is that pverty also means a lack of access to "capital" or resources in the form of education, nutrition, health, as well as the familiar lack of income.
Poverty also exists in the form of ppl's inability to influence policies that governments may introduce that help improve thoose in the higher brackets and indirectly hurting those in the lower brackets.
Poverty also can be seen as vulnerabilities ppl are exposed to regarding natural disasters and their lack of something as basic as mental well being. Simply being able to feel HAPPY, or comfortable.

So, these are a lot of issues. And obviously, no one organisation can tackle them at the same time. Unfortunately, tackling them one at a time, as though each issue is isolated from the others has not worked either. So what is starting to be seen, is that ppl need to start looking at these issues from a point of view of a wholistic,unifying way; regarding, not what rural ppl don't have, but what they do have. And we assure them that what they do have is extremely valuable. This starts to build a mentality of empowermment by building on their strengths. Not their weaknesses.

So what have they got? Well, as far as I can see, they have got :

A vast knowledge resource base from their past on all the ways their forefathers ensured that the community survives TO THIS DAY. Livelihood strategies that, once brought up to date, can be a viable income generating source.
They have got access to natural capital. The natural environment upon whihch, if used sustainably, they can generate an income.
They have got each other. Strength in numbers with a voice loud enough.
They have got a vision or a desire of where they want themselves, their children and the future of the community will be.
They have got ppl like us, willling to provide access to information on how to make each of their strengths work for improvinig their lives.
There is also a spiritual element as well that they posess. The human capacity for growth, and the belief that they CAN become better than they were previously. They possess the ability to literally change their world and make it better.

Now, I am trying to combine microenterprise with the knowledge of the above. Why? Becuase microenerprises have the potential to have a positive impact quickly. People begin to see tangible results faster and by seeing these resuts, even if small at first, can help spur them onward. And if we incorporate the above, into a microenterprise strategy, the possibility for success is increased I think.

I've been considering some low startup cost businesses, that I am willing to put my money (sadly not a whole lot) and time into. Soap making, bee-keeping, biodiesel production, coconut oil production, solar dried fruits and vegetables, paper making. I have a somewhat modest knowledge of most of these things, with the exception of bee-keeping. Of course, these aremy ideas, andthe community mayhave far better microenterprise suggestions.

What I need to work on now, is to find creatiive ways to introduce small business management into a rural context. Strategies on how best to impliment small business in a way that ensures that the businesses are community owned, and that all individuals who are interested, preferably the whole community, can participate equally in developing these businesses, and develop their community.

Were I in Cruz Verde at the moment, I would be involved in rap sessions with the community, and planning with them. But I'm not there yet. However, I want to get the ball rolling some how, and this seems like a good way to go.

Hey everybody,
I just wanna mention that Calamardoazul brought up a good point about loan sharks. How bad are things like that in poor communities? Are loansharks in all poor communities?
Obviously any development initiative strategy is gonna have to consider the posibility of conflicts cropping up. When these loansharks see that the ppl they prey on are not gonna be as dependent on them anymore, are the reactions likely to be dangerous?

Personally, I thiink that even loansharks are just trying to make a living. Helping them to ensure their survival and make a living by being a part of the positive process is a possibility. However, I have never met a loanshark before, so I dunno how idealistic I am being here.

Regarding teaching strategies, one area I have been really thinking over is the fact that in poor communites, ppl are mostly unable to read. This presents a problem when it comes to business.
The Learning By Doing approach seems to help in this matter somewhat, in terms of community members learning new skills through direct experience, and the project "experts" (i dislike that term) learning techniques and concepts from the community in the same way.
But what about the areas where certain business concepts can only be learned thru pen and paper?
Ihad a seriously difficult time teaching englsh to kids in Cruz Verde. And some of these kids actually went to high school! I thought that they would be more familiar with sitting and writing what was on the board. But it took some of them 10 minutes to copy a simple sentence from the board.
Does anyone know of past techniques, or on going techniques for teaching? You don't have to be an expert to make a suggestion. If someone feels they can think up a good way to get concepts across, or have read or heard in passing of ways to do this, post away..

Thanx in advance,
Handel