Reworking underserved communities and fostering sustainable development by way of entrepreneurial endeavors

The Social Impression Accomplice Highlight collection highlights numerous Cisco non-profit group companions which might be serving to rework the lives of people and communities. This weblog options Cisco’s partnership with Agora Partnerships, Bridge Worldwide, CARE Peru, Centro Group Companions, Defy Ventures, and Hand in Hand Worldwide, highlighting the transformative work every of those organizations are doing within the entrepreneurial and financial empowerment house, particularly for underserved communities.

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World Entrepreneurs Day 2024, noticed on August 21, celebrates the ingenuity and perseverance of entrepreneurs who’re the driving pressure behind innovation and financial development worldwide. This yr’s theme, “Empowering Entrepreneurs for a Sustainable Future,” underscores the very important position that entrepreneurs play in creating options to international challenges and advancing sustainable growth. Find out how a few of Cisco’s non-profit associate organizations are enabling the transformative affect of entrepreneurs and fostering environments the place their concepts can thrive and result in a brighter, extra sustainable future.

Agora Partnerships

“Taking part within the Eco problem has been a chance to see my enterprise with one other perspective, not simply seeking innovation alternatives, however of a social and environmental legacy, that may transcend different generations and even different geographies.”
—Feminine entrepreneur chief of knowledgeable audio companies firm

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute virtually 25% of Latin America’s Gross Home Product and make use of over 60% of the entire inhabitants. On the similar time, SMEs throughout the area face stagnating productiveness development and growing vulnerabilities to local weather variability and pure useful resource degradations throughout the area face stagnating productiveness development and growing vulnerabilities to local weather variability and pure useful resource degradation.

The significance of SMEs for each financial prosperity and environmental preservation means an funding within the greening and modernization of their enterprise fashions can have an outsized affect on the area’s total sustainability.

And but women-led small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) face technological, financial, cultural, and institutional limitations to enhancing the environmental footprint of their fashions – impeding sustainable and inclusive financial growth.

Agora Partnerships strives for a world by which social and environmental sustainability turns into the true enterprise engine for SME development. With instrumental early-stage ideation and planning funding from Cisco Basis, Agora designed the content material, methodology, structure, and prototype for an eco-innovation (environmentally optimistic practices) repository geared toward facilitating the combination of eco improvements within the enterprise operations of conventional WSMEs in Latin America.

The method entailed a number of phases. First, they built-in in Agora’s enterprise coaching a product that enabled firms to ideate, choose, and plan the implementation of eco improvements immediately linked to enhancements of their backside line. They then moved on to pilot the content material with precise enterprises to validate assumptions, equivalent to cross sectoral applicability and relevance throughout completely different enterprise growth phases. From there, they created an Ecochallenge fund deciding on awardees to fund their plans for testing and studying. Lastly, they translated the primary two phases right into a digital and self-guided format which can enable Agora to create affect at scale by making the content material obtainable to audiences past Agora’s present program members – permitting them to proceed to assist feminine entrepreneurs all through Latin America to make their companies greener – and extra profitable.

How Agora Partnerships is making a distinction:

• 19% had mapped the adverse impacts of their companies and had a minimum of one technique to mitigate them
• 08% reported that the Eco-challenge contributed considerably to their development and the event of environmental information of their enterprise
• 97% reported implementing social or environmental actions

Agora Partnerships has many alternatives to assist with their efforts. Particularly, the group wants:

• Consultants in gamification to enhance the present consumer expertise of the eco improvements repository.
• Environmental specialists that may evaluation piloted eco improvements to determine attainable enhancements, potential factors of problem, and analysis methodologies/practices.
• Practitioners or entrepreneurial assist organizations who want to pilot eco improvements with their very own entrepreneurs to proceed constructing the eco innovation knowledgebase.
• Suggestions of databases or stories highlighting confirmed environmental practices that reap financial returns in SMEs.

Study extra about Agora Partnerships (en español video)

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Bridge Worldwide

“We offer capacity-building consultations and coaching to create revolutionary and catalytic approaches to entrepreneurs. We additionally present crowdfunding alternatives to extend entry to monetary sources and public visibility for the social companies that we assist everywhere in the area of Asia.”
—Ahlim Kim, Program Director

The Bridge Worldwide helps underserved social innovators and rising entrepreneurs in South Korea and throughout the globe. Via its on-line crowdfunding platform which merges the ideas of “donation” and “funding” into one, The Bridge Worldwide created a revolving donation mannequin that sustains and builds financial resilience for program beneficiaries and donors.

With Cisco’s Regional Answer Grant, The Bridge Worldwide was capable of reestablish its on-line platform. The platform goals to create a sustainable ecosystem of affect donations and extra sources which might be essential for enterprise sustainability of people’ dream to develop into economically unbiased and be capable to give again to others in want. Lately, The Bridge Worldwide has enhanced the ‘Birthday Donation Marketing campaign’ characteristic, which allows people to launch their very own campaigns utilizing their birthdays. They’ll invite family and friends to donate in the direction of social causes they care about to have a good time. This enchancment has efficiently inspired extra folks, each domestically and internationally, to take part in these campaigns. The affect of the grant is promising for beneficiaries, together with mission VietHarvest in Vietnam, Ritma Inexperienced in Indonesia, and Jumpaa Comics in Laos.

How Bridge Worldwide is making a distinction:

• Variety of entrepreneurs served (North Korean Defectors and Creating International locations in Asia): 53
• Share improve in funds raised: 26%
• Price improve in financial independence (re-donation fee): 11%

Bridge Worldwide welcomes group assist by way of donations and volunteer involvement:

• Host a donation marketing campaign: Try fundraisers just like the “Birthday/Occasion Donation”, designate a mission, and assist celebrating particular events equivalent to birthdays, graduations, marriage ceremony anniversaries, and others.
• Join for mentoring and enterprise partnership constructing.

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CARE Peru

“CARE has advocated for ladies entrepreneurship at a nationwide scale. We goal to contribute to a resilient and inclusive economic system by unleashing the facility of growth-oriented ladies entrepreneurs. We assist ladies entrepreneurs to really feel assured, resilient, in management, and outfitted to develop their companies, in order that they achieve financial energy of their households, communities, and economies.”
—Marilu Martens, Nationwide Director at CARE Peru

CARE established a everlasting presence in Peru in 1970 following the devastating earthquake within the Ancash area, and in 2012, it was constituted as a Peruvian NGO. For over 50 years, it has applied over 1000 tasks centered on the nation’s social growth, which have modified the lives of probably the most susceptible folks. Within the final 5 years, CARE Peru has positively impacted the lives of over 7 million folks.

CARE Peru’s Ladies with Alternatives (GWO) program creates an academic ecosystem that fosters the well-being and academic continuity of adolescent women, igniting their curiosity to be taught and potential to develop into the perfect they are often to beat poverty. This system implements numerous instructional initiatives concentrating on stakeholders, equivalent to college students, lecturers, faculty directors, households, native authorities, and group leaders. CARE Peru gives a supportive setting, partaking establishments and group leaders to again this system’s implementation. Academics and college directors bear capacity-building packages to combine the GWO curriculum into faculty administration devices, guaranteeing sustainability. College students take part in asynchronous and synchronous studying periods, growing abilities and competencies by way of initiatives just like the “Concept y Emprende” contest, which inspires entrepreneurship and STEAM training.

With Cisco’s Regional Grant assist, CARE Peru developed its STEAM initiative which included a pilot of the Cisco Networking Academy course on “Get Related, ” instructional directions and expertise coaching to equip college students with important digital abilities and assist their creativity for studying and put together a pathway for a optimistic future in for underserved women in rural areas of Peru. Program success contains elevated pupil engagement, information switch of information to lecturers, and program sustainability inside collaborating public/authorities colleges.

How CARE is making a distinction:

• 16 secondary colleges’ members of the GWO Program collaborating within the methodological switch
• 60 instructional actors from secondary colleges, Native Schooling Unites (UGEL) and Regional Directorate/Unit of Schooling (DRE/GRE) from numerous areas together with of Cajamarca, Bambamarca, Lambayeque, and Amazonas that take part within the methodological switch course of from GWO Program
• 50 lecturers who improve information in thematic areas from GWO Program
• 50 lecturers with certificates/recognition achieved for collaborating in GWO Program signed by UGEL/DRE/GRE

Be a part of CARE Peru’s trigger and make a distinction. Your assist will allow over a thousand college students from the Ladies with Alternatives mission to proceed their instructional journey and obtain targets they by no means thought attainable. To donate, go to their web site or give through PayPal.

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Centro Group Companions

“At Centro, we imagine entrepreneurship is a strong catalyst for financial transformation and social mobility. By equipping underserved entrepreneurs with tailor-made technical help, entry to capital, and devoted teaching, we empower them to show their visions into sustainable companies. Our dedication lies in nurturing their daring concepts into thriving enterprises that not solely profit the entrepreneurs themselves but additionally enrich their communities.”
—Arturo Noriega, Founder and CEO

As we have a good time World Entrepreneurs Day, it’s important to spotlight the transformative initiatives which might be making vital impacts on the entrepreneurial panorama, particularly for the underserved. Cisco has been a pivotal associate in Centro’s journey to empower underserved entrepreneurs globally. Via their beneficiant assist, Centro has expanded its capabilities and attain, touching the lives of over 1,000 entrepreneurs yearly.

Cisco’s investments in Centro’s expertise and capacity-building initiatives have been game-changers. With Cisco’s backing, Centro has invested within the Centro App, a complete software that has revolutionized how entrepreneurs entry sources, teaching, and capital and helps observe affect. One other vital milestone within the partnership has been the adoption of Salesforce because the centralized database administration system. This transfer has streamlined Centro’s operations and information administration practices, guaranteeing that each choice the group makes is knowledgeable. The inception of Centro Labs, additionally funded by Cisco, served as an incubator the place the groundbreaking concept for the Centro CEO App was conceived. As an AI-driven platform, the Centro CEO App guarantees to be a cornerstone in Centro’s technique to equip entrepreneurs with good instruments they should succeed.

Cisco’s assist extends past monetary help—it’s a partnership that embraces imaginative and prescient, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of empowering those that aspire to make a distinction by way of entrepreneurship. As Centro appears to be like in the direction of the longer term, the group is grateful for Cisco’s unwavering assist and excited concerning the countless potentialities that lie forward. On World Entrepreneurs Day, Centro celebrates not simply the spirit of entrepreneurship but additionally the partnerships that amplify this spirit. Because of Cisco, Centro just isn’t solely dreaming of a extra inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem however actively constructing it.

Since 2021, the assist from Cisco has been instrumental in serving to Centro leverage expertise and construct revolutionary options to increase its packages and companies to achieve underserved entrepreneurs. The next are some key highlights of Centro’s affect over the previous three years:

• Assisted 2,500+ underserved low-income ladies and entrepreneurs of coloration with its packages and companies.
• Facilitated entry to $4.7M++ in capital, serving to entrepreneurs begin or develop small companies to attain monetary independence.
• Offered 1,400+ hours of one-on-one enterprise teaching companies to assist entrepreneurs overcome enterprise challenges and join them with native small companies sources.

Centro believes in trust-based philanthropy and presents quite a lot of alternatives for assist and engagement:

• Advocate Centro to Entrepreneurs: Join entrepreneurs to Centro’s packages and companies to assist them begin and develop their small companies.
• Take part in Graduations: Centro welcomes friends to take part in Centro program graduations to offer suggestions to entrepreneurs on their enterprise fashions/pitches.
• Assist Entrepreneurs Entry Capital: With as little as $25, folks may also help a neighborhood entrepreneur entry an interest-free Kiva mortgage of as much as $15,000.

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Defy Ventures

“I’ve by no means felt fairly so full, empowered, educated, safe, and assured about opening my very personal enterprise. I used to be beforehand incarcerated, and a former drug addict and my enterprise concepts have been simply that— concepts and desires. . . till I got here into Defy Ventures’ entrepreneur program!”
—Carol Anne Madonia, Founder and CEO of That Meatball Collective

Defy Ventures is a nationwide nonprofit whose mission is to shift mindsets to provide folks with prison histories their greatest shot at a second likelihood by way of entrepreneurship, profession readiness, well-being, and private growth coaching packages delivered each in jail and locally.

Defy’s imaginative and prescient is to chop recidivism charges in half by leveraging entrepreneurship to extend financial alternative and rework lives. This yr, Defy will work with greater than 1,000 at the moment and previously incarcerated women and men to defy the percentages in 9 states.

They accomplish this by way of entrepreneurship and profession readiness coaching packages facilitated each in jail and locally, with the aim of supporting profitable reentry and financial alternative. Their community-based entrepreneurship packages embody enterprise coaching, govt mentorship, planning grants, and seed capital to assist previously incarcerated people obtain their desires of launching a small enterprise.

Their cornerstone CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) jail program gives members, (referred to as Entrepreneurs in Coaching or EITs), with entrepreneurship abilities, private growth, profession readiness, and reentry preparation by way of a five-volume, 2000-page set of printed textbooks and the submission of assignments through assortment of paper copies.

With assist from Cisco Basis, Defy is reworking this curriculum right into a tablet-based program, which can allow a major leap ahead. With the flexibility to ship studying through tablets, they’ll be capable to enhance their program with   wealthy content material (equivalent to supplementary movies), digital information assortment, and elevated communication with program members each throughout and after this system. Tablets may also allow them to increase their attain to serve extra folks and in additional places – that means extra justice-impacted women and men will now have a good likelihood.

Since inception, Defy has achieved the next affect:

• 7,900+ EITs served
• 200+ companies launched
• <10% recidivism for program graduates inside 1 yr of launch (vs 30% nationwide common)

The right way to become involved:

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Hand in Hand Worldwide

“The ladies we work with face a bunch of restrictive norms and attitudes that hold them from incomes their very own incomes, and so usually tend to be digitally excluded. Because of our partnership with Cisco, we will unlock the facility of expertise to equip much more ladies entrepreneurs with the abilities and sources they should launch thriving companies, lifting extra households out of poverty.”
—Amalia Johnsson, Deputy CEO, Hand in Hand Worldwide

Worldwide, round 10% of girls – 400 million – dwell trapped beneath the poverty line of simply $2.15 a day. Within the locations Hand in Hand works, equivalent to Kenya, Tanzania, India, and Afghanistan, there are few alternatives for formal employment. For these ladies, entrepreneurship is the one route out of poverty. Nevertheless, in lots of of those communities, over 60% of girls can’t make on a regular basis selections with out their husband’s permission. Others yearn to begin small companies however lack entry to the coaching, loans and sources wanted to start.

When ladies lose, everybody loses. Households, communities and even nations develop into trapped in a cycle of poverty.  However given the chance, ladies can break these cycles and form the longer term they need.

Hand in Hand equips under-served ladies with abilities and sources to earn more cash and ignite native economies, lifting nations out of poverty. Via a confirmed mannequin centered on abilities acquisition, credit score entry and market connections, Hand in Hand has reached 9 million ladies entrepreneurs through its international community. Nevertheless, till now the abilities acquisition element of Hand in Hand’s mannequin has centered solely on in-person coaching. In rural areas specifically, native enterprise trainers spend an enormous period of time on the highway – limiting the variety of ladies the NGO can attain.

How Hand in Hand is making a distinction:

This yr, Hand in Hand has partnered with CISCO to develop and check a focused, inclusive e-learning platform in Kenya – to enhance its in-person enterprise coaching.

• Up to now, Hand in Hand has reached 9 million ladies 20 million relations.
• Sometimes, ladies entrepreneurs double their incomes.
• 84% of girls at the moment are capable of make choice concerning the issues that have an effect on their lives.
• The brand new e-learning system will assist Hand in Hand to satisfy its aim of reaching 265,000 Kenyan entrepreneurs by 2027.
• Hand in Hand’s entrepreneurship coaching delivers a mean ROI of 475%.

The right way to become involved with Hand in Hand:

• Donate in the present day: An everyday present of £35 a month might equip three ladies with the abilities and sources to launch their very own companies.
• Accomplice with Hand in Hand: In case your group is seeking to improve its affect and rework the lives of girls entrepreneurs, please contact Anna Davies, Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships.

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