Ecoempresas

Nevara's visionary leader has been studying entrepreneurship for 15 years, with 14 years in higher education, focused on how to maximize impact. In the 4th year of his PhD, he is doing action research - bringing together all his insight in recruiting passionate interns to join Nevara, in additional to preparing a new class called Impact Assessment.

While much of the efforts recruited to improve quality, efficiency and sustainability is done out of goodwill and passionate students volunteering their time - Nevara has reached a bottleneck caused by financial constraints.

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With increased capacity, SOIL would expand programs to meet all Nutrients for All targets. We would increase our R&D of novel methods for recycling human wastes thereby improving nutrition, environmental restoration, and agricultural production. We would focus on developing a market for the nutrient-rich compost produced at our facilities and streamlining the provision of sanitation services in order to reduce costs to users. We would also expand our outreach and education programs to encourage social business replication of our successful programs, extending the impact of our work globally.

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I hope that this kind of curriculum, which combine scientific knowledge and real life challenges will be adopted by other lectures and other universities so that we may build a better environment and provide economic benefits and prosperity to local community.

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Many hospitals and health centers in Ghana function without the basic equipment and supplies necessary to provide medical care. They also suffer from restricted budgets that make purchasing high value equipment such as anesthesia machines nearly impossible. US hospitals annually dispose of over $6 billion USD of medical supplies, many of which are recoverable and reusable. Hospitals often donate high value working medical equipment when they upgrade to a newer model. Manufacturers also donate unsellable products with damaged packaging, although the integrity of the supplies is not compromised. Developing countries occasionally receive donations of medical supplies but these donations are not reliable and often consist of supplies the hospitals do not need or do not have the support to use.

MedPLUS Connect unites under-resourced health systems in Ghana with recovered medical supplies from the US, while ensuring that each hospital receives only the equipment and supplies actually needed. Before sending medical supplies MedPLUS Connect conducts site visits at each hospital and works with hospital officials to develop a specific request list of items the hospital needs. We then work with our partners in the US, including hospitals, non-profit supply recovery warehouses, and medical manufacturers to assemble these supplies and ship them to Ghana. All equipment is sent in working condition and with the correct transformers and adaptors to account for the difference in voltage in Ghana. Each shipment and surcharge is completely funded by the Ministry of Health in Ghana.

MedPLUS Connect connects under-resourced health systems in Ghana with recovered and recycled medical supplies from the US. Our overall objective is to ensure that our medical donations are based on hospital needs and are sustainable. For each shipment of donated medical supplies we send, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health fully funds the cost of storing the supplies in warehouses in the US, shipping, and a surcharge that allows us to purchase electrical compatibility equipment for medical machines, conduct site visits in Ghana, and remain a sustainable organization with very low administrative costs. Our model saves our partner hospitals a large portion of their budgets that they would otherwise spend on supplies, allowing our partners to divert these funds towards additional health programs.

Our model prevents excess medical supplies from being discarded in landfills. Our partner hospitals also save substantial amounts of their budget, since the supplies they receive from MedPLUS cost significantly less than the market cost in Ghana, and can divert those savings towards other needed health programs. The inherent value of the supplies received greatly exceeds their retail value. These items are often life-saving necessities, allowing hospitals to provide critical services. We have witnessed boxes of sutures being unloaded from our delivery trucks and carried into operating rooms for immediate use on patients. Finally, the shipment of high-value medical equipment, such as anesthesia machines, enables hospitals to improve the scope and quality of care offered to their patients.

Our current customers are the medical directors, physicians, and administrators of the hospitals and health centers throughout the Upper West, Upper East, and Northern Regions of Ghana. These customers range in size from multi department hospitals to rural one-room clinics without electricity or running water. By serving a large portion of the health system in the country, our customer base also includes the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, which helps fund our shipments and organization.

We have built a system of trust and open communication with each of our recipient hospitals by delivering quality medical supplies based on their requests. Our partners at these hospitals often provide us with the names of additional hospitals and health centers that are in need of medical supplies and therefore in need of our services. We are also provided with contacts by the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health of Ghana and the Regional Medical Directors of each region we are currently working in. These directors are knowledgeable about the needs of the health care systems in their region and can point us towards the hospitals and health centers that may need our help the most. We then conduct personal visits to recipient hospitals and health centers to develop our relationship.

The primary activity of MedPLUS Connect is the organization and coordination of shipments of medical supplies to our recipient hospitals in Ghana. This is carried out by conducting site visits at recipient hospitals and health centers in Ghana, developing prioritized request lists with hospital officials, filling these requests by coordinating with our partners in the US, facilitating the shipping of each container and its clearance upon arrival in Ghana, and following up to ensure that supplies are received in good condition. Additionally, we ensure funding for future containers by meeting with and sending reports to the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health of Ghana.

Our peers include medical supply recovery organizations and the collection of philanthropies that have similar missions, but cover shipping costs with donations. However, not many organizations have a presence in Ghana. Some work primarily with hospitals and countries that cannot cover shipping costs while others send only one 40ft container each year. Ghana is currently able to buy their medical supplies. However, by partnering with MedPLUS they save a great deal of money, which can then be put towards expanding their services. They can afford to pay the fees for shipping which allows MedPLUS to function as a sustainable organization. We have welcomed collaboration with similar organizations and the need for medical supplies is so great that direct competition is not a foreseeable issue.

The most significant challenge MedPLUS Connect faces in the future is finding the funding to expand our organization. Due to the great need for medical supplies in Ghana, we hope to increase the number of shipments we send, which requires more administrative time in both countries. Due to a lack of funds to make our Executive Director full-time, our Executive Director is a part-time position, resulting in a high turnover rate. The high turnover provides a challenge for expanding MedPLUS due to the high learning curve associated with the position. We plan to continue seeking funding that will enable MedPLUS to increase the Executive Director position to full-time. We also plan to refine and further develop ways to increase our income generation, while still remaining stable and sustainable.

MedPLUS Connect has grown steadily since its inception. We hope to continue to expand our organization and increase the number of shipments we send each year. Our strategy includes sending shipments to other regions of Ghana as well as to other developing countries in the future. This growth would include increasing the responsibilities of both our Executive and In-Country Directors to full-time.

The MedPLUS Connect model has been in place for five years and has been highly successful. Since 2008 we have shipped 14, 40-foot containers to Ghana and are in the process of sending four more this year. We have optimized our process and are therefore ready to increase our number of shipments and expand to additional countries.

Our key objectives include increasing the number of containers shipped per year, increasing the number of recipient hospitals, expanding shipments into new regions of Ghana, expanding to include shipments to other developing countries, and employing a full-time (versus part-time) Executive Director and In-Country Director.

Within the next year we hope to increase our number of shipments from 5 to 8 per year. We then hope to increase by 2 shipments per year. In two years MedPLUS Connect will have increased our shipments to 10 per year, a level at which we would be able to fully sustain ourselves and continue to function and expand based solely on the income from our shipment surcharges. Within the next four years we hope to expand our model to include other developing countries, such as Malawi and Uganda where we have already made contacts. We have been cautious to avoid expanding prematurely because we want to ensure that we have enough resources and time to sustain our relationships and maintain a high degree of communication with each of our recipients.

It is very difficult for citizens, getting healthy food and quality, ethically produced and priced right. With our project we want to create a "model" to ensure quality agricultural products and above all sustainable.

The project would achieve its social goals through productive activities, mainly in the production and processing of agricultural products, by integrating work of socially disadvantaged people, in not less than 30% of workers.

We believe that the involvement of the territory, in the form of associations, buying groups and simple families and citizens will be able to create a virtuous circle that will generate income.
Above all, the key to the success of the project will be the concept of bringing the country to the city, to meet the deep need for citizens to find a way of life more sustainable.

Price and "short chain" next to authenticity and freshness are the hallmarks of our products.
The main purpose we propose through the use of a methodology to short chain is to contain and reduce the costs of products, limit and restrict the production steps for also lead to direct contact between the producer and the consumer.

People, citizens and families of the area, who want to share an idea of participation and sustainability.
Associations and cooperatives, buying groups linked (GAS).
Small distribution centers within the city.

The "buzz" in the area and the non-traditional communication, besides the use of social networks and the engagement of GAS and other networks of associations.

The main activity will consist of cultivation of vegetables and organic fruit, which be sold with a new way called "self picking", directly in field.

At the moment there are no other territories that are undergoing similar projects. Our model is an absolute innovation.

Our main problem, actually, is organizational, that is find enough people with the right skills who can work in the field.

Our growth strategy is to gradually consolidate a network of small-scale distribution and direct sale of products, so as to reach every season to expand the area of land cultivated and also increase the variety of vegetables according to the request.

The growth of the business is ensured from being able to offer a response to the profound needs of the citizens to find sustainable living spaces and quality, starting of course from food.

The main objective of growth and consolidation of the project is to be able to economically self-sustaining in a couple of years, but without neglecting the commitment to ensuring employment opportunities and inclusion for people in need.

2013 - 2014 plant 2 hectares orchard and 2 acres of organic vegetables

2014 - 2016 project implementation and extension of the cultivated area - economic sustainability

In the short term, success will be when monthly expenses are paid for and profits are realized so we can begin to save for our first year social improvement project.

I will view Adonya Imports as successful when we are able to provide funding for entrepreneur and financial classes for the artisan groups we work with.

For me, success is not an obtainable goal, it is a mind set. I feel successful today, even without sales. I feel calm, I feel taken care of, I feel lucky. I am surrounded by amazing people who have shown so much support and love for what I am trying to achieve. Ive got this opportunity to potentially benefit communities around the world and will ultimately be getting paid to shop! While I am always looking to grow and do better, personally and in business, I am happy with where I am and know that every sale I make, small or big, is one step in the right direction.