Funny Moments While Waiting

After our busy week with students and faculty, we now await the decisions to be made on which plans will be funded. During this time, we have been helping Elena and Jacqueline on whatever projects they are currently working on. Because of this, I have decided to write a couple funny experiences we've had.

1. One morning this past week, we needed to make a trip to the Mall to do some due diligence. The trip was relatively unproductive, but we were able to get some information. On our way out of the mall, we decided to hail a taxi to take us home. This is always a chore outside the mall, because due to the amount of foot traffic, there is high volume of taxis on the road - each hoping to score their next customer. So one has to walk among the various autos negotiating until finding the right fit. Well, our second try gave us a decent price. The driver was a young man of mid-twenties driving a silver mid-sized Sudan. On the way back to our office, he was driving somewhat erratically, trying to accelerate very quickly and pass cars with very little space. Repeatedly, he would accelerate quickly, only to brake just as fast when he realized he wouldn't make the tiny gaps. It wasn't until near the end of the ride that I was leaning on the left rear door, that I noticed something near the steering wheel. Could is possibly be...? Yes, in fact, it was an opened beer can! I chuckled in disbelief and hoped we would make it back ok. I should mention here that I never saw the guy actually take any drinks, and it is possible the can could have been empty from before, or acting as a coin jar... who knows? Luckily, we arrived safely where I mentioned the item to Douglas and Elena. Good thing we can just laugh about it.

2. Kitty corner to our house is a three story building that houses a popular restaurant. Many times as we are walking by in the evening, I notice how many cars are parked on the street, and the number of people eating inside. I often asked myself, "What is this restaurant? The food has got to be so good to constantly be packed like this. We should come here to try it out." Well, finally on Thursday, we made the decision to walk the twenty yards and enter the popular establishment. As per usual, the place was so crowded, there weren't any open tables on the second or first floor (we tried upstairs first). So we approached the counter and asked the woman working there if there were any open tables and if we could see the menu. She responded by saying that they only served one thing -- Platters of Mollejitas. I was shocked. I didn't know what to say, so we said thank you and walked out. When we were out of earshot, I let loose to Douglas my disbelief. Not three weeks earlier, I had ordered my first plate of Mollejitas out of curiosity, not knowing what it was. One bite ensured me never wanting to eat it again. Yet we still didn't know what it was. A quick search on the internet informed us that Mollejita refers to a popular Peruvian dish of chopped chicken gizzard, "an organ found in the digestive track of [chickens]...constructed of thick, muscular walls is used for grinding up food; often rocks are instrumental in this process." How was it possible this upscale restaurant near our house served only one dish of chicken gizzard and consistently attracted numerous clients? It's just one of those cultural differences.

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. 

Week Number Two!

Well another week has come and gone. It's actually really surprising how time can seem to go by so quickly. This week Dallin and I spent some more time visiting businesses, including the ever famous Panaderia in Huanchaquito, Peru. The Panaderia is still doing well and they are about to finish paying off another loan.
We also spent a lot of time working on the financial projections of the business plans that will be
presented this June to qualify for a loan. We have really been able to make some progress and are glad to be making a difference. One project that I was able to work on a lot this week was on Luis' plan for a mini market. To start off, I was very impressed with Luis and all of the time and effort he has been put in to this project. Luis wants to start a mini market in a new subdivision. The subdivision is part of government subsidized program that will be housing close to 200 families starting in July. After those houses are filled the project will continue to build close to an additional 800 housing units. Luis believes that by starting a mini market right at the beginning that he will be able to run a successful business and continue to grow as the housing development grows. He is a hard worker and shows a lot of potential and that is why Dallin and I want to do all we can to help him and all the other loan applicants to be as successful as possible.

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.