| Overcoming Structural Obstacles |
Overcoming structural obstacles is also essential for sustainable enterprises to flourish. Even with mentoring and access to the necessary tools for success, our client communities still face structural obstacles preventing their efforts from coming to fruition. For example, a proper banking system that allows credit to flow is necessary for entrepreneurs to flourish, but is nonexistent. The lack of key infrastructure, such as energy and telecommunication networks, also limits production, marketing and transportation - not to mention the quality of life in the communities. Social capital, another key tool that supports budding businesses by providing contacts, resources and social networking, is also often limited outside the immediate communities.
In many cases, these structural obstacles are too large or complex for a single individual or even community to overcome on their own. In response to this, CEN generally collaborates with other organizations, government agencies and the private sector to produce the means to address these problems. For example, to increase the availability of financial capital, we might partner with a Micro-Finance Institution to offer microcredit to participants who need to purchase equipment or working capital, or perhaps help establish a rotating savings fund. To overcome poor transportation, we might work with government agencies and other businesses that need improved transportation services to get their products to market in order to attract shippers to expand their services to the region. Whatever issue these communities decide to overcome, the work is done entirely by the participants with guidance from partners trained in our methodology. By mentoring rural communities and placing the responsibility of progress in their hands, we move residents toward material results and empower success through self-reliance. Other Components of Our Development ApproachOverview
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| Last Updated on Saturday, 17 March 2012 14:26 |
