Summer 2014 - Week 2

(Warning: this post will likely be random and scattered, we took few photos and I'm sleepy)

This week has been an adventure! Annie and I (Kory) ate something that didn't agree with us at all, and spent a nice week sick. Poor Annie got the worse end of it, but she's a champ and had a great attitude.

With just two weeks left until the summer Study Abroad group comes to analyze and present the projects, we've been hard at work to finalize and perfect the plans in every way possible. Unfortunately there have been a few people we haven't been able to get a hold of, and if we can't finalize things with them soon they may miss their chance to have their plan presented.

Currently, our most pressing challenge is that of working with the Employment Center group, who is further behind than the Danper group, and need a lot of work done to finalize their plans. On Tuesday we held a meeting with the group to get to know them individually and see how far along they are. There are a few plans that look very promising, and we're excited to be able to help these great people follow their dreams and own their own businesses.

One of the plans that we're excited about with that group is a man named Abel, who currently owns a small business selling fish at the wholesale level. His business is successful, but he currently has to rent a truck and pay someone to ship his fish for him. He's seeking a loan to be able to buy a refrigerated truck. The amount of money he could save would be amazing, and would allow his business to grow an incredible amount.

We're excited for this next week, and can't wait to watch these plans progress!

Here's some random photos of our tourist adventures:

Church in the Plaza de Armas 

Random lady on random road

Chan Chan Artifacts

Statue in the center of the Plaza de Armas

Summer 2014 - We're Just Getting Started

After our first week here Annie, Kory, and I are already loving Peru!  It’s been a busy week getting to know Elena and Cesar, (who are both awesome) and we are excited about the coming weeks! 

Getting to know every one, along with their business plans, has been challenging; to a small degree our heads are still spinning. We have met with almost all of the Danper individuals on a one-on-one basis and had the opportunity to work through the finances as well as finalize different parts of their business plans. Tuesday morning we are meeting with the Employment center group (previously The Church Group) and hopefully discern which plans are advanced enough to prepare for the coming presentation cycle in June.  Working with so many plans with such a short deadline is sure to keep us on our toes.

Sitting down with people, we have already seen a spectrum of emotion. Some joyful and excited, others discouraged and circumspect. Diving into the details, working business plans several times over, and doing sensitivity analyses have helped us turn every plan thus far into a feasible business proposal.  While they understand that not all business plans will be funded, being able to work through their financial statements and watch them change from being in the red every month to making a profit, makes a difference and encourages them to continue.

We know it’s going to be an eventful 3 months and are looking forward to an awesome summer.