Week of Welcome!

Work has officially commenced for the us, the new interns, and what a week it has been! From getting to know the culture and relearning the language to crunching numbers in complicated Excel spreadsheets to relaxing on the beach in Huanchaco, our days have been filled to capacity learning our place here in Trujillo, Peru.

Much of our time Monday and Tuesday passed quickly as Douglas and I studied over financial projections and expenses of each of the six ongoing plans. Making the numbers work and finding spots that can use improvement brought early satisfaction to our labors.

Wednesday and Thursday brought the projects to life as we accompanied Elena to visit a number of existing businesses. One visit early Thursday morning was especially exciting. MoniC, the clothing manufacturing business, has recently been one of Elena's worries. Carmen (the "C" of MoniC), was able to only pay interest on her loan payment last month. Heading to the visit, Elena was prepping us for the possibility that Carmen could be going through some difficulties that would make repayment difficult and our jobs a little more complicated. To our delight, Carmen has had a run of good fortune and her business is picking up. She recently has contracted with local businesses to increase her clothing production. She also has moved some of her work to her own home to make it more convenient and has begun selling out of her house. She continues to look for opportunities and has a great optimistic attitude about the future.

Other visits have proved to be enlightening and fun, all of which are helping us get on our feet and really get to work. It's exciting to be a part of something so real with real impacts for real people. We only hope to do our part.

My first impressions of Peru!

Douglas Ward - Summer 2013 -

It has been a great weekend her in Peru. Dallin and I arrived early Thursday morning and we have had a great experience over the last few days getting to know Peru and a few of the people here. Since Dallin has been to Peru before we decided that it would be best if I shared some of my very first impressions of Peru. Before coming I had heard about how great Elena and Jaquiline are and I have to say that all of the rumors are true. They have both gone out of their way to help us find our way around the city and to make sure that we are enjoying ourselves. Also we met Alejandro Falcón and he was also very gracious and fun to talk with. All of the people that I have met so far have been very kind and generous!

Now let's talk about food for just a minute. Dallin and I have spent the last few days trying different foods and looking for places where we would like to eat over the next few months. I enjoyed the famous peruvian dish of aji de gallina, a type of shredded chicken smothered in some kind of sauce. The peruvian hamburger I ate was edible but I don't think I'll return to eat at that burger joint again. One of my favorite places so far though is San Augustines. It's a sandwich and juice shop. I ate a simple turkey sandwich with a strawberry smoothie, it was excellent! 

The area of Trujillo where we live has been enjoyable. We live next to a few parks and pretty close to the center of the city. One thing that I'm not really used to is how much honking goes on in the streets. All of the taxis are honking to signal that they are looking for passengers and all of the other cars are honking to warn people or other cars that they are coming through. It's a lot for a stranger to the country but to everyone else here it's just the normal day to day. 

All in all I have loved my first few days in Peru and I am sure that Dallin and I are going to have a great time with a lot more adventures!

Elena Pajilla

Elena Pajilla, managing director, of Danper Sembrando Futuro was born in Pampas, a town in the mountains of Peru.   She is the youngest of 5 sisters and grew up in Trujillo, Peru. 

She attended Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, where she studied accounting and finance.  In addition to her studies she also played volleyball.  Elena enjoys reading, listening to music, going to the movies and spending time with her friends and family. 

Elena has worked for Danper Sembrando Futuro since the start of the program in 2007.  She is responsible for the administration, finances, accounting and execution of business projects running “Danper Sembrando Futuro” and Wasatch Social Ventures. 

Elena working with Santos, a long time loan recipient and owner of a mini-market

Elena says, “I love my job, I like to have contact with people and to teach and help people less fortunate start their business.  I like to feel that I form part of something that starts with an idea embodied on paper and then that idea becomes a business.  I get to share that with the individual and see the impact that is generated in their lives.  Not only economic but the additional value added to their lives through running there own business.  This all happens because of the SEED program.”

Elena at the second anniversary of Panificadora Mi Barrio Progresa 

Elena works very hard for the program and is dedicated to its success.  She is always willing to help out and do whatever is asked of her, even if it means adding more to her workload.   She is good at her job and we are proud that we get to work with her.       

 Elena with Alejandro Falcon and the Fall 2012 SEED Interns

Summer 2013 interns

We're excited to introduce our new Summer 2013 interns!  Dallin and Douglas will be leaving for Peru May 9th.  A little about these two new interns:

Dallin Maxfield

Majors: Entrepreneurship and Economics

Minor: Music

“I want to be a SEED intern because I have seen firsthand the effects of poverty and also how micro finance and social programs can help foreign nations. I'm excited to teach and help the Peruvians of Trujillo!”

Douglas Ward

Major: Accounting

Minor: Spanish

“I wanted to do the SEED internship because I love Hispanic cultures and I enjoy business and business concepts. I am excited to be involved in a program that combines those two elements and allows me to help make a difference in the lives of individuals.”  

Special Award Given to Danper (Our partner)

Danper (our partner in Peru) was awarded in the ninth edition of the award PERU 2021 Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development, at a special ceremony held at the Marriott Hotel in Lima, on December 5^th, 2012.   Danper won the first place in the category Workers, “for its successful sustainable business ventures, developed to improve the quality of life for entrepreneurs without access to credit, providing formative elements in business and finance their ventures, in partnership with Utah State University and Wasatch Social Ventures”.

“PERU 2021 is a peruvian nonprofit organization, leader in the promotion and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility, that recognizes the work of the companies related their social responsibility programs.  Moreover, other seven companies were awarded with Danper in other categories, like IBM, Backus, Duke Energy, Interbank.”

Saying Goodbye to Geoff and Andrew

Our Spring 2013 interns, Geoff and Andrew, worked hard the past three months in Peru and helped improve the lives of many entrepreneurs and their families.  Throughout this blog you've been able to see some of the hard work they've been doing and stay up to date with what projects they've been working on.  Even after countless hours of work the past few months they found some time to enjoy some of the beautiful sights of Peru.

Their last week in Peru, Geoff and Andrew had some travel time and had the opportunity to travel to the Cusco Region of Peru and see one of the seven wonders of the world: Machu Picchu 

After their fun week of travel, Geoff and Andrew have made it safely back to Utah.  We'd like to thank them for all their hard work and for a job well done in Peru.

We look forward to introducing you to our new, Summer 2013 interns, at the end of April! 

Elena Pajilla- Jugueria

In late March, the project “Gissella –Jugueria” finished paying off their loan.  I like this project a lot because it is an example of the dedication and perseverance of their members.  Gissella and her sister Daniela participated in the SEED program in 2011 in which they presented their business plan.  That year the project was not approved for external reasons, yet they did not give up.  Even when they did not have enough capital for their business, they had the knowledge of how to start it and began saving and taking family loans.

Contact with the SEED program was never lost, in 2012 we reviewed their plan and we funded them so they could purchase equipment for their business. Now, not only have they paid off all their debts, they have implemented a different proposal for the sale of juice.  They sale their juice through jars which has a greater capacity than a glass and physically looks more attractive.

This business has made it possible for Gissella and her sisters to resume their studies, the income they receive allows them to finish their schooling.

The vision to expand the business is still present in Gissella’s mind.  She wants to purchase a separate room for the business and expand.  We will stay in touch with them and will have more news on this expanding business later on.

During the month of March we have also said goodbye to Geoff and Andrew after three months of work.  We are very grateful for their work and dedication, especially with future business plans.  It is always a pleasure to learn and share with young contributors. It's indescribable how valuable their work is, they have the power to generate a change in the lives of program participants, these changes also involve their families and their communities.  The participants never will forget about you (Geoff and Andrew) and you will always be in their memories.

Many Thanks Geoff and Andrew! I wish you success in your lives.