Come and Gone

It seems like the Go Global students, professors and directors from Wasatch Social Ventures only got here yesterday, but now they are gone. It has been a really great experience getting to know everyone and work alongside with them on the due diligence of each potential loan applicant. Here are some of the things that happened this week.

Lidia's Cement Mixer

Monday

• All of the professors and directors along with Elena, Alejandro and the interns went and visited eight of the existing businesses. It was a great experience for everyone to see a lot of the success that this program is having, along with a few of the struggles. 
• The students continued working on their due diligence projects, a few made visits and everyone was working hard to get their presentations and reports ready for Wednesday. 

Meeting with Rosario

Tuesday

• The professors, directors, Elena, Alejandro and the interns had the opportunity to meet with Rosario, the CEO of DanPer. This was a really neat experience. Rosario is an incredible woman who really wants to make a difference in Peru. She is very pleased with how this program is turning out and hopes that is will continue to succeed.
• Dallin went with Mike Glauser, Dave Herrmann and Cliff Skousen to the famous Panaderia in Huancaquito Bajo. This was a first time visit and must see for Professors Glauser and Skousen. 
• The students took some time in the morning to visit Huanchaco and then used the afternoon to put the finishing touches on their presentations.

Wednesday

• The students gave some fantastic presentations, sharing with everyone their research and backing up their recommendations for the current loan applicants.
• Everyone went to lunch together celebrating a job well done and giving the interns, Elena, Jaqueline and Alejandro one last chance to say goodbye before the students, the professors and directors left on their journey back home that afternoon.

We really did have a great time with everyone and hope that they all enjoyed their visit here to Peru. Now we are just anxiously waiting to find out the outcomes for these potential loan applicants. Hoping for the best!

Oh and I did get the chance to try and learn some break dance moves from a Peruvian!

So it begins...

They are finally here! The students and faculty from the Go Global South America 2013 trip arrived early Thursday morning. Their incredible experience ends here in Trujillo after having visited Santiago, Chile and two more locations in Peru. Only a few more days stand between the students and the final flight back to the United States. Here's what we've done:

• Work began within just a couple of hours of their flight touching ground. By 10:30 am, the group met in the hotel lobby to be introduced to the interns, Elena, and Jacqueline. We had a few minutes to introduce their projects and then help them dive in. 
• At 3:00 pm the same day, the group visited DanPer where they learned more about the SEED program and received a tour of the production plants. Each part was translated into English by many of the talented bilingual students.
• A few of the groups met with their respective potential loan recipients that night in the hotel and planned future research visits and action plans.
• Friday was filled with visits to different parts of Trujillo as groups met with potential loan recipients and explored the surrounding areas. Visits are usually filled with research questions as they gather pertinent information regarding the loan.
• Saturday morning one group made the long trip to Nuevo Chao to visit Juan Valle and discovered new information about the area, competition, and Juan's personal situation that suggest Juan rejoin the program next year and take extra time to reevaluate his plan. 
• Other groups also made visits on Saturday to further their knowledge of the individuals, the region, and related businesses in the area.
• On Sunday the group was able to tour the local tourist sites including the Huaca del Sol y de la Luna and the sand ruins Chan Chan. Around lunch time, the group enjoyed some time on the beach under the sun (which hasn't shone for nearly three weeks). 

On the way to visit Juan Valle

We look forward to the next few days knowing they will be full of hard work! We are excited to see the students' presentations on Wednesday and hope the best decisions will be made on the presented plans. 

Getting Ready!

Another great week has come and gone! Dallin and I spent a lot of this week focusing on getting the potential loan applicants business plans ready for the Go Global study abroad students who will be arriving this Thursday. We are excited to get to work with them and the loan applicants this next week and so for this Blog we are going to give a brief introduction to each of the loan applicants and their business plans.

Maria's House

Ruth has spent the last few years selling different foods and snacks around her house. She has recently taken sewing classes where she has learned how to sew polos and other types of clothes that are commonly used by workers in the different factories around her house. Ruth has developed a business plan that would allow her to make and supply work clothes to factories near her home.

Maria Soledad has developed a business plan that would help to start a bodega. A bodega is basically a
small shop, usually in front of someone's house, where people can come and buy things from fruits and vegetables to snacks and drinks.

Anita meeting with Spring Interns

Luis has also developed a business plan to start a bodega. He originally planned on having it in a new developing area, but recently his plans have changed and he will be looking at starting his bodega at his home in Alto Trujillo.

Anita and Carlos are hoping to be able to start an Internet Cafe in their community. Their business plan is focused on creating a good environment for their customers and providing them with up-to-date computers and a fast internet connection.

The light blue house is Juan's

The last but not least is Juan Valle. Juan lives in Nuevo Chao, about an hour from Trujillo, and he hopes to be able to establish a bread bakery that he and his wife, Martina, will run. Bread is an inexpensive staple food of many of the families her in Peru and currently Nuevo Chao only has one bakery. Juan and Martina have seen the need for an additional bakery in their area and believe that they will be able to provide excellent service and an affordable price. Also there home is located on one of the busiest corners in all of Nuevo Chao, great for starting a business!

Progress! ... and disappointment.

We work with some incredible people! This week we have seen some amazing progress in those preparing their plans.

Monday we met with Rudth who has always been so dedicated to making her project work. She comes prepared and ready to cover some ground, and she has one of the most complete projects we currently work with. We are excited for her. Thursday and Friday we spent a significant amount of time working with Juan Valle and Anita (different projects) to determine specific costs associated with their businesses. We are happy to report that they are both nearly finished on their cost projections. We also worked diligently to make realistic estimates on their revenue projections. Both plans have also seen amazing growth. During the other days of the week, Doug and I spent hours on working out details on financial projections for each of the plans. We want these to be as ready as possible for the summer group of students coming in mid-June. We couldn't be more excited for these amazing people to see their projects come to life. Nothing would make our work more rewarding.

Unfortunately, we received an unexpected call this week as well. After so much work and time put into her plan, one of the women called to say she would not be continuing with her project. She is experiencing some personal difficulties that have rendered her project dismissed for the time being.