Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Dec 29, 2011
CEN was featured in an article by Michael J. Carter which appeared in IPS (Inter Press Service) on December 27th about figuring out how to change the world for the better.
According to a 2009 study at Stanford University, a new non-profit organisation is registered every 10 to 15 minutes in the United States alone. As a result there are as many varieties of aid projects as colours in the rainbow.
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Dec 19, 2011
by Gwen Davis
Full article in Tuesday, December 13, 2011 South Seattle Beacon Hill Newspaper
The quality of life in developing countries can keep one awake at night: Children working in sweatshops; women working 19 hours a day for 10 cents a week; little access to HIV/AIDS or malaria medication; chronic starvation and institutionalized poverty.
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Oct 20, 2010
When Dona Luciene, a resident of Suruacá, set out to open her own clothing business, she knew there would be countless obstacles standing in her way: a limited market, the lack of funds to buy a sewing machine and raw materials, and family illness, just to name a few, although, these did not stop her. The strong basic skills and a mindsets she and the other participants through our cCLEAR Project is a critical foundation for building self-reliance. Dona Luciene has achieved not only monetary success, but has become a community model for enthusiastic and talented entrepreneurship.
What's the difference between hard skills, basic skills, and mindsets?
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Aug 24, 2010
Of all the areas of social and economic development in which CEN could invest its energy, why focus on entrepreneurship? The basic skills and mindsets CEN helps develop are a critical foundation for overcoming a wide variety of the challenges we see in developing regions like the Amazon, including increasing access to health care, increasing incomes, preserving the environment, and improving education.
CEN's Creating a Culture of Learning and Empowerment in the Amazon Region (cCLEAR) program focuses on enabling residents of rural communities to increase incomes in a sustainable manner, through entrepreneurship. When asked directly to identify the biggest obstacles they faced, residents of the Amazonian communities where CEN is engaged expressed concerns over the lack of stable and consistent means of generating income. Nurturing and encouraging new, grassroots business development ideas creates new jobs and revenue opportunities, rather than relying upon the existing sources, which are limited.
Why focus on entrepreneurship, rather than finding jobs in existing businesses?
Posted by: Administrator in Untagged on
Oct 26, 2009
One of CEN’s main goals is to end dependency and create self-sufficient communities. CEN helps people to develop not only the tools to be a successful business owner but the mind-set as well. Communities that are able to rely on their own innovation and adaptability will thrive and less prone to economic downturns. This is why CEN works to create entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs are problem-solvers firstly. They are the ones working to make a society better by solving everyday problems. Thus an entrepreneurial workforce is crucial to sustain economic welfare and the evidence is abundant. A country of entrepreneurs does not wait for an economy to bounce back. They do not wait for more jobs to be created. Entrepreneurs innovate when times are hard and they create their own jobs and income through their own companies. A country of entrepreneurs do not wait for things to get better, they are the ones proactively changing life for the better. The self-sufficiency and proactive attitude are incredibly important attributes for a strong society to possess and is what CEN tries to instill.
