Marli Kasdan
Country: Kigali, Rwanda
Organization: Hands of Mothers
Overall, my internship experience with Hands of Mothers (HOM) was extremely rewarding for me. I learned a lot about development at the local level though the lenses of women’s empowerment in business, capacity building, and project sustainability.
Location / Country: Kigali, Rwanda
Organization: Hands of Mothers
Kasdan: "Overall, my internship experience with Hands of Mothers (HOM) was extremely rewarding for me. I learned a lot about development at the local level though the lenses of women’s empowerment in business, capacity building, and project sustainability. In addition, I feel that my work with HOM centered on deliverables and impact to our program participants. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the three cooperatives that HOM supports: Twiyubake, Baho, and Ejo Hazaza. I appreciate and recognize the many challenges they face, and I think that the HOM summer team was able to lay the groundwork for a sustained upward trajectory for each cooperative. My hope is that our team’s focus on capacity building through a series of trainings and workshops and our emphasis on promoting sustainable income generation has put in place the foundation for each cooperative to become independent from HOM and sustainable in the long run.”
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Hands of Mothers
“HOM worked with three women’s cooperatives in Kigali, Rwanda:
Baho: raises kuroiler hens and sells eggs
Twiyubake: makes hand-crafted leather sandals
Ejo Hazaza: makes hand-crafted jewelry; applied for a grant to start a project to grow and sell oyster mushrooms”
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Deliverables and Impact to Program Participants
“During the internship, my deliverables and impact on program participants mainly focused on my work with the women in the cooperatives that HOM supports. Throughout the summer I ran a series of trainings and workshops along with my team members in order to help the women in the cooperatives improve their record keeping skills, sales skills, cooperative management and organization, and cooperative accountability structure. “
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Conclusion
“I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience with Hands of Mothers in Kigali this summer, and I hope that I had a positive impact on the women we worked with and HOM. I gained valuable field work experience this summer, and I want to extend my most sincere thank you to Jerry and Yunie Blakeley for the fellowship.”
Ankit Grover
Country: Zimbabwe
Organization: TechnoServe
My summer experience as a Blakeley Fellow working with TechnoServe and the African Agriculture Fund (AAF) was nothing less than a “have-it-all-at-once” opportunity. In my ten weeks in Zimbabwe, I was afforded the chance to delve deep into each of my interest areas – small and medium enterprise development, private equity, business strategy and impact investing.
Location / Country: Zimbabwe
Organization: TechnoServe
GROVER: "It is often said, “You can have it all. Just not all at once.”
My summer experience as a Blakeley Fellow working with TechnoServe and the African Agriculture Fund (AAF) was nothing less than a “have-it-all-at-once” opportunity. In my ten weeks in Zimbabwe, I was afforded the chance to delve deep into each of my interest areas – small and medium enterprise development, private equity, business strategy and impact investing. ”
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About TechnoServe and TAF
“TechnoServe, whose mission is to find business solutions to poverty by connecting farmers to financial markets, recruits Fellows (or Volunteer Consultants) to work on short-term assignments in developing countries with high impact opportunities. As a Fellow, I was drafted to work with AAF’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) (managed by TechnoServe) in preparing a business plan, market strategy and financial projections for a Zimbabwean agribusiness company in the sesame crop value chain. TAF supports AAF’s portfolio companies in improving linkages between smallholder farmers (SHFs) and the companies, to increase local household incomes and enhance food security in communities where the Fund invests. This lays the foundation for sustainable long-term growth and developmental impact for both the portfolio partner and the community it benefits. “
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The Experience:
“It is one thing to study value chains and another to actually start from the base of the pyramid and follow the trail of the grain. A thorough analysis of the sesame business required engagement with SHFs on the ground, away from the hustle and bustle of Harare. In late July, I had the opportunity to travel to one of the remotest and most water-stressed villages in Zimbabwe, some hundred miles from the capital. I had the chance to study first- hand the various predicaments from the farmers, as well as brainstorm some quick-fix solutions for their problems. My education in agronomy came full circle when I could finally validate and tie the smallholders’ income statements to the financial model I was preparing.“
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Conclusion
“My biggest takeaway from my fellowship is to never discount the power of the value chain. It is what drives synergies in achieving developmental impact, and without it, no business can remain sustainable in the long term. I'm grateful to the Blakeley Foundation for affording me this opportunity and look forward to helping the Foundation accomplish its objectives in the future.”
Miriam Freeman
Country: Colombia
Organization: Compartamos con Colombia
My experience in Colombia surpassed every expectation. During my short time there, I worked with incredible colleagues, became familiar with a number of important local players, was introduced to the world of nonprofit consulting, and in some small way participated in important efforts to strengthen the social sector in Colombia.
Location / Country: Bogota, Colombia
Organization: Compartamentos con Colombia
FREEMAN: "I went to Colombia in May of this year to start my internship at Compartamos con Colombia (CCC) with lots of excitement and few expectations. I had visited Colombia for the first time in March on a Fletcher Latin America Group (FLAG) trek, and was left with a taste of how special the country was, but wanting to know more. Six months later, I can say Colombia surpassed every expectation, and my internship at CCC proved an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth.”
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Compartamos con Colombia
“Compartamos has a unique model—leveraging private sector expertise to solve social sector challenges. What makes it different from other market-based approaches is its multi-firm arrangement. The organization was founded as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy of fifteen companies in Colombia (many of them multinational) with expertise in strategy, finance, law, and other professional services. Volunteers from these firms work as consultants on a pro-bono basis on specific projects for the Colombian social sector. The role of CCC is to connect the nonprofit and private sectors, adding value through strategic analysis and producing the final consulting deliverables. Compartamos’ projects fall into three categories: capacity building (its core), shared value, and social innovation. “
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The Experience
“Compartamos has an ongoing presence in Quibdó through partnerships with organizations like ACDI/VOCA and Fundación MIMA, as well as the Detonante entrepreneurship festival now in its third year. Quibdó is one of the rainiest places in the world and the poorest city in Colombia by some measures. Projects ground to a halt earlier this summer when there was a general strike, citing government indifference, incomplete highways, lack of healthcare, and other public services. Illegal mining, corruption, and guerilla conflict have added fuel to the fire. A former slavery hub, it is no coincidence that the region has the largest afro-descent population in the country, and one of the largest indigenous populations. With 62% of residents living below the poverty line, several people told me that the region’s development indicators align more closely with sub-Saharan Africa than Latin America. I was grateful for the opportunity to see a different side of Colombia and contribute in some small way to the growing entrepreneurial movement there.
For all of the challenges they face, Chocoanos are resilient. The ACDI/VOCA project began in January and has included a series of workshops for the 28 entrepreneurs it supports on topics from accounting to peacebuilding. Along with two colleagues, I led a strategy workshop, combining a business canvas model with human-centered design techniques to encourage entrepreneurs to think outside the box and embrace new ideas for their businesses. These entrepreneurs understand clearly that what they are selling goes beyond jewelry, chocolate, or other products—they are selling the opportunity to change the region’s image nationally and internationally, by preserving local culture and traditions. To me, this is what market approaches to development are all about.”
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Conclusions
“My experience in Colombia surpassed every expectation. During my short time there, I worked with incredible colleagues, became familiar with a number of important local players, was introduced to the world of nonprofit consulting, and in some small way participated in important efforts to strengthen the social sector in Colombia. I surprised myself with my ability to apply finance and strategy skills acquired at Fletcher, and left inspired to learn more skills that I can apply to creating social change after graduation. After ten weeks, I feel I only touched the surface of all the country has to offer, and of the diverse challenges it faces. These are exciting times for Colombia, and I’m eager to see how things progress.”