LSE July 2013 Business Brigade

Start Date: Jul 2, 2013 12:00 AM
End Date: Jul 11, 2013 12:00 AM

Volunteers will spend 9 days in a rural community in Panama to help provide solutions to the community’s economic needs. The target beneficiaries have been previously excluded from formal financial institutions & therefore lacked access to savings and credit opportunities. Beneficiaries tend to have a low level of income, lack of collateral, & low level of education. During the brigade, volunteers divide into small groups to conduct client visits in which they get to know the client, assess each client’s level of financial literarcy, entrepreneurial aspirations, and/or business knowledge. Volunteers then provide educational and capacity building assistance in the form of workshops. Topics range from personal finance to basic accounting and business planning. Additionally, volunteers invest in the community savings and credit (S&C) cooperative by providing seed capital. In turn, the seed capital provides loans to a small business to either expand current operations or pursue a new entrepreneurial opportunity. Working side-by-side with community members affords volunteers the opportunity for cultural exchange, micro-finance, and consulting experience. The clients benefit by learning personal financial and business skills and gain access to credit and savings opportunities. Community businesses benefit from the counseling and better access to credit. The community benefits because the profits earned by the S&C stay in the community to be used by the community!