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.