Literacy + Business Training + Village Banks = A Better Life

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ProLiteracy has joined forces with several other international organizations offering training in literacy instruction and business coaching to help small businesses in Ecuador improve their operations.

ProLiteracy, the world's largest organization of adult literacy and education programs, and Interweave Solutions, offering business training in developing countries, recently trained 22 people on literacy instruction, business practices, and community development. The trainees are loan officers and trainers from FINCA, a microfinance bank that provides small business loans to low-income people. The trainees will use what they've learned in their work with residents in 30 communities throughout Ecuador, giving residents the literacy and business skills they need to start and maintain businesses that will help them support their families and make improvements in their communities. The pilot project is sponsored by Citi Foundation.

"This exciting project is based on a similar, highly successful program in El Salvador that involved the same partners," said David C. Harvey, ProLiteracy president and CEO. "The goal is for the program in Ecuador to expand to 7,000 villages where FINCA has village banks. That represents some 140,000 families that have the potential to gain reading, writing, and math skills that will help them run the small businesses they'll start up with loans from FINCA."

Dr. Lynn Curtis provided the literacy training on behalf of ProLiteracy; Interweave Chair Dean Curtis and Interweave Ecuador staff members Julio Vizuenza and Oswaldo Andrete offered training in Interweave's six P's of business—plan, product, process, promotion, price, and paperwork.

FINCA country director Leonardo Polit called the ProLiteracy training "a new era for FINCA in Ecuador."

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 11, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    Our country and many others are dependent on society's knowledge, skills and abilities. An educated society creates vibrancy and opportunities. The collaborative effort between FINCA and Proliterarcy in training and readying individuals to be success business owners in their respective countries and villages is a positive step in the right direction towards global social change.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KathyJuly 18, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    I think this is a wonderful thing. Collaborating with others to learn how to build businesses and succeed. This is such an important global issue. As is, many countries help other countries out financially, and I think the goal of all of this would be to help countries eventually become financially stable on their own.
    Thank you FINCA and Proliterarcy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KrisAugust 29, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    Dear Jan and Kathy,

    I agree. This is how global communities can share knowledge and thrive.

    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownOctober 23, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    Literacy for women and girls can quite literally break the shackles of back-breaking labor and continuous pregnancy and childbirth. By providing opportunities for women to support themselves and their children creates a win-win situation for all.

    ReplyDelete

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