Business Skills Needed in International Humanitarian Work
Have you always wanted to apply your business skills in poorer parts of the world? We need you!
International development is shifting away from "hand-outs" to "hand-ups".
Thus business skills play an increasingly important role in international humanitarian work.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP/ SMALL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT: Rwanda, Cameroon, Kenya The focus of international development is helping people "generate income".
e.g. When I was in the remote villages of Cameroon, farmers did not have
$5 for a mosquito net to prevent malaria.
In Rwanda and in the Kibera slums and in the remote rural villages of Cameroon, the challenge is helping dream up enterprises that people with few resources can do; and then mentoring and guiding them in the skills necessary to succeed & prosper.
It is a fascinating challenge to break entrepreneurship into the basic steps and help people out of poverty.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP/ SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Morocco & Jordan The Arab Spring of 2011 was initially inspired by the street vendor in Tunisia who set himself on fire.
Harassed by local officials, he felt he was thwarted in his effort to support his family.
It is still difficult to make a living in much of North Africa.
Morocco: Come teach youth who have gotten out of detention how to launch a small business.
Jordan: it is unusual to have such a strong women's empowerment program in the Middle East.
Come teach women how to operate small or medium size enterprises and make a living.
MICRO-FINANCE: Rwanda, Costa Rica, India, Ecuador, Lebanon Micro-finance is still an important ticket out of poverty.
The most important part of MF is not the loan but helping micro-entrepreneurs succeed.
Costa Rica has an extraordinary director: hilarious and gracious.
India is much more like the Grameen model - helping the poor in many ways.
Ecuador reflects the model that grew out of Liberation Theology: forming cooperatives.
Rwanda asks for help in Finance, IT (analyzing their database), Marketing or Operations.
Lebanon is quite sophisticated & needs help in operations, risk assessment & management, and auditing; and also would like help developing mobile app, eCommerce & Microfinance trainings.
MARKETING & FINANCE: Uganda, Nepal, Peru
Uganda: A cutting edge organization has figured out a self sustaining way to build better housing for people in the slums.
They need help with marketing & advertising: how to get the word out to the poor that this amazing option exists.
Nepal: An equally innovative renewable energy organization also needs help assessing potential markets & marketing renewable energy to schools, NGO's, hospitals and private citizens. They also want help figuring out financing plans so ordinary Nepalis can afford renewable energy. We need you!
Peru: this organization in the Sacred Valley would like help marketing the attractions of their town so that they may attract some of the many tourists that go to Machu Picchu. Helpful to also have experience in Tourism.
ENVIRONMENTAL - ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Caribbean Vibrant & ground-breaking environmental organization that works on renewable energy, climate change.
reducing waste, and working with schools, churches and businesses adopt more environmentally friendly practices would like help for the entrepreneurs that they assist. It is hard for small businesses to succeed on the islands because there are not enough people. Help develop realistic, viable business plans; help with financials; and mentor progress.
WOMEN & MARKETING: Ecuador
Often the stumbling block for small businesses in the developing world is marketing.
In poor countries few can afford the products made so the goal becomes finding a wider market.
Or if their product would not flourish on a global market, do they need to create a service or product that will sell better locally?
Help Ecuadorian indigenous women market and sell their weavings and crafts.
SMALL BUSINESS THAT SUSTAINS NGO: Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka multi-faceted organization is run by a business man and run much like a business.
The organization was born after the tsunami hit in 2004: they have a health and dental clinic; teach "income generation" skills, computers, electrical work, hair dressing and do psycho-social work and literacy.
They market spices and have launched a diving and tourism business to fund their non-profit. Want to help?
ALTERNATIVES TO TRAFFICKING - HOSPITALITY & TOURISM: Nepal
~7,000 women & girls are trafficked from Nepal to the brothels of India per year.
Abject poverty in the remote, remote villages of Nepal make the offer of "a good job in India" very tempting.
One of the goals of this trafficking org is to teach young women English, literacy and about tourism.
Tourism is Nepal's #1 industry and their aim is to create an alternative income source for these young women.
You need not have a background in Tourism, but if you do, all the better!
Interested?
HOW TO APPLY
Please read NGOabroad website
and send BRIEFLY answered Questionnaire and resume to:
These are volunteer opportunities.
Both seasoned professionals & students needed.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
You can usually determine start date & duration of service.
WHEN TO APPLY
*Immediately! It is smart to get Questionnaire & resume to us by mid-February so you can finish application process by March so you have time to prepare to go to another country.
Our volunteer programs do not just run in June, July & August - that is simply when the most people can go.
Except primary & secondary schools that have school schedules to adhere to, most of our programs run year round.
