Commerce juste

The current model is to work closely with the community on developing the new product based on previous experience and knowledge of the market. We would be able to help them increase competitiveness and profitability through product expansion strategy and understand international quality standards, research and develop new products, with capacity building and training for the new processes, market and sales strategy, and connect them to distribution channels.

For our pilot project, we have been working to develop natural dye crayons with a community in Northern India. We used one of the byproducts of another process they have and utilized local materials to develop the current product. We are in the midst of pilot sales for this product. Having worked on this from scratch, it seems like a process that could ultimately be adapted to other communities around the world.

Whereas most members of productive groups do not have a bank account, they all have mobile phones, and sometimes even, a computer. The main restriction these informal micro entrepreneurs face regarding access to financial services is the lack of registered information as proof of revenue. This new instrument may easily be transformed into a tool of financial inclusion because accounting management by phone or computer would considerably facilitate the financial transparency. The goal of the project is to allow the micro entrepreneurs to manage their cash flow and their production, as well as make adequate financial decisions about sales prices and goals. It constitutes the first step towards enabling these micro entrepreneurs access to financial services and offer a strong potential for scalability, as that which can be done within any micro business and other productive groups, at the local, regional and national levels.
The proposed solution represents a complement for the financial education training that PlaNet Finance Brazil offers. The software will be tested with two groups of current beneficiaries of PlaNet Finance financial education courses before it is expanded to other productive groups.

The vast majority of African MSMEs are owned and run by youth and women. This group also happens to be among the majority borrowers and users of micro-finance products. Two of the foremost barriers to growth of African MSMEs are access to markets and access to capital.

The goal of creating an online marketplace for African-made products is to eliminate the first barrier - access to markets. The goal of integrating a financial management system into the online marketplace is to eliminate the second barrier - access to capital. One of the key drivers to the growth of any business is adequate and sustained sales that will bring sufficient revenue and increase the bottom line. This in turn creates a multiplier effect in that with increased sales, the producers will purchase more inputs and thus also stimulate the growth of the factors market.

Moreover, the additional revenue will encourage the depositing of savings and the growth of investments, thereby also increasing the net worth of the producer and enabling him/her greater access to additional financial products such as credit facilities to further grow their business. The financial management system will be linked to the MSMEs' bank accounts to form an integrated online business transactions system that can be used by MSMEs to track the progress of their businesses and make adjustments accordingly.

An online marketplace will offer access to the markets, while a financial management system will offer access to the much needed financial services for MSMEs.

1. Our multi-disciplinary team of specialists identifies qualified artisans and producers that have products or the potential to create products with market demand.

2. Once a qualified artisan/producer has been identified we perform a custom designed diagnostic based on 7 main categories which are: Design, Brand, Technology, Innovation, Production, Finance and Management to get a 360 degree view of the artisan or producers current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

3. We evaluate the results of the diagnostic and select the most viable solutions that will help the artisan/producer improve and innovate their products to prepare them for new markets.

4. Once the artisan/producer's products are ready for market, we begin a testing phase to learn how to best introduce the product into the marketplace and minimize risk.

5. Based on what we learned during the testing phase we make necessary improvements and refine our product introduction strategy.

6. We measure and analyze the results of our efforts to identify and systemize best practices for each product and category.

7. We give back. For every product sold NB designates 10% of the profits to a special fund called FEI (fond de emprendimiento e innovación) that will be used to support entrepreneurship and innovation efforts in Nicaragua.

Chinh Bui is a member of Bin village’s Women’s Saving and Credit group. In 2005, prior to the start of CECAD’s project, Chinh’s family was one of the poorest households in Bin village. Being a female head of the household, she worked very hard to support her family, but had problems making ends meet. In 2005 she was one of the first women who joined the village group’s Women’s Saving and Credit Group. With the support of the group members, she took a loan from the group to invest in animal husbandry. At the beginning, she kept chickens and ducks. Gradually, she saved money and bought cattle. In 2008, she had to sell her cattle to pay for her daughter to go to college. With a very small amount of money left, she decided to keep a sow. She learned a great deal from other group members how to raise sows. She has now becomes one of the most successful women who know how to keep sows and piglets. Her daughter graduated from college and has found a job. Her family becomes an upper-middle household. She has set a bright example for other women in the village to follow.

In 2010, PeaceTones ran "Haiti Sings," a project in Port-au-Prince. We publicized open auditions on Haitian National TV six months after the earthquake and had an overwhelming response. We selected twenty talented musicians singing about social change and justice, held legal and marketing workshops, and ran a contest on Facebook to select the winner. A global voting population chose a 22-year-old artist named Wanito. He has, in little over a year, become one of Haiti's top stars following our contest and our production of his first album. He agreed to put a percentage of the album sales back into his community through literacy programs.
Wanito is a shining example of an artist who has taken the legal, marketing and justice tools we have taught him, and created a successful career based on a positive and empowering musical message. Wanito was named one of the most influential people in Haiti in 2011, alongside Hilary Clinton, and has also been invited by the Haitian parliament to be Youth Ambassador for 2012. Wanito’s most popular song, listened to by hundreds of thousands of Haitians throughout the cities and provinces of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, addresses the risk of unwanted pregnancy to teenage couples and encourages the use of protection and forethought. The impact of this song’s public health message throughout the greater community of Haitians is just one example of the potential of an unknown artist’s unknown song to grow into a national campaign for peace, justice and development.

El programa se articula en torno a 4 principales acciones que contribuyen a fortalecer todo el ecosistema emprendedor y de negocio:
1. Asistencia técnica a emprendedores: provisión de asistencia técnica por rubro de producción para mejorar la calidad de los productos y servicios y para aplicar protocolos de producción que garanticen su sustentabilidad.
2. Formaciones en gestión, asociativismo y comercialización: talleres de espíritu emprendedor y asociativo, comercialización, atención al cliente, registro de ventas, costos y ganancia, fijación de precio e identidad marca PY
3. Apoyo a la comercialización de productos y servicios de la marca PRODUCTOYUNGAS
La marca PRODUCTOYUNGAS es una marca de calidad social y ambiental que fue desarrollada por la Fundación ProYungas en un conjunto con las comunidades y empresas de la región. Garantiza una elaboración artesanal y sustentable de los productos, usando materia prima y procesos naturales que cuidan el ambiente de la Reserva de Biósfera y valorizan el saber-hacer de las comunidades locales.
4. Implementación de un fondo de compra de mercadería, que más adelante servirá como fondo de microcrédito autogestionado. En una primera instancia, el fondo se implementará como fondo de compra de mercadería, la cual será adquirida por ProYungas para comercializarse con el apoyo de PlaNet Finance en provincias del norte del país y en Buenos Aires. El fondo se re orientará hacía el microcrédito productivo (compra insumos etc.) cuando los canales de comercialización estén fortalecidos y los niveles de venta sean más significativos.

Our project objectives fall into three categories: 1) improving farmer relationships (between producers, between coffee cooperatives, and between producers and related organisations), 2) improving farmer participation (particularly for women), and 3) improving business (product quality and local market capacity). As an example, by strengthening producer relationships and organisation, this farmer exchange program will reduce the costs of doing business while increasing production efficiency. This will be achieved through holding regular farmer meetings to exchange knowledge, ideas and resources as well as identifying incentives and barriers to increased cooperation; leading exchanges between cooperatives and private coffee washing stations; developing cooperative business models as well as mechanisms to better meet delivery targets in terms of quantity, quality and timeliness); and identifying appropriate avenues for political representation and market bargaining power.

An organisation joins The Business Collective for an annual fee of £25.00. they then make an "Offer" eg. 6 x Business Mentoring seesions or the use of an industrial kitchen once a quarter; they then make a "Request" eg. A recruitment campaign to seek a highly skilled member of staff in a very competitive market or a replacement printer/scanner as their's has broken.
This exchange will only happen once every year but once in the membership, members will participate in on-line forums, be invited to events (the first annual one is scheduled for November 2012), share current thinking from eminent academics and possibly do business with each other

We have worked for 12 years to develop the supply side of Maya Nut in Central America and Mexico. We have trained more than 18,000 women from 1000 communities in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, and Colombia to harvest and process Maya Nut. We still have a lot of work to do to refine quality and quantity of supply and establish standards and best practices, but meanwhile we realize the very pressing need to create a brand and a market for our product. Having a market that is willing to pay a fair price for women's wild harvested Maya Nut will create the economic incentives for communities to conserve and restore Maya Nut forests and will very quickly earn the attention of the governments of the countries where Maya Nut is produced, generating investment in Maya Nut reforestation to satisfy the growing demand. Our brand will be unique in that our Maya Nut is 100% sustainable (harvested under strict harvest plans), 100% women's product (100% of the board of directors and 70% of employees of all producer groups are female), 100% fair trade (minimum fair price is determined by producers, not buyers) and 100% organic (verified by laboratory exams). No other Maya Nut currently on the market (sold under the trade name "Ramon Nut") meets these standards. Our primary activity in this project is to create a brand and a marketing strategy by conducting surveys, designing and vetting logo and slogan options, selecting target markets (high paying niche markets), and marketing.

The vast majority of African MSMEs are owned and run by youth and women. This group also happens to be among the majority borrowers and users of micro-finance products. Two of the foremost barriers to the growth of African MSMEs are access to capital and access to markets.

The goal of creating an online marketplace for African-made products is to eliminate the second barrier - access to markets. One of the key drivers to the growth of any business is adequate and sustained sales that will bring sufficient revenue and increase the bottom line. This in turn creates a multiplier effect in that with increased sales, the producers will purchase more inputs and thus also stimulate the growth of the factors market.

Moreover, the additional revenue will encourage the depositing of savings and the growth of investments, thereby also increasing the net worth of the producer and enabling him/her greater access to additional financial products such as credit facilities to further grow their business. All in all, this will stimulate both the local and national economies.

The first step, however, would be to provide the much needed access to the markets that will provide a great number of sales for products. An online marketplace will offer access to billions of people who are active online and who are both willing and able to purchase good quality African-made products. The increased demand for these products will also encourage the producers to enhance their creativity and innovation, and ensure that their products are of international quality.

We have been watching our model work for the past four years in ways which continue to astound us. Our shining example would be our head tailor, Auma Lucy, and the drastic changes we have seen in her life and that of her family. Lucy is the first tailor hired by Awava. Our founder originally met Lucy in the central market in Gulu Town, Uganda, where Lucy sat in an empty room, just her and a sewing machine. Over the years Lucy has trained multiple Awava tailors, purchased 9 sewing machines, purchased fabrics to sell from her shop, maintained workshop rent payments, made sure that all twelve children whom she cares for are in school (one is about to start at university), provides ongoing medical assistance to her two elderly parents, purchased two plots of land and has nearly completed a “western style” home. Her bookkeeping has become meticulous and she is quite proficient with banking and mobile money. Lucy’s example has proven that our product design and innovation, business and entrepreneurship training, as well as focus on market linkages does in fact work.

Our main activities:
Training of sustainable harvesting technique, namely taking only the honey and leaving the bee larvae intact. This way the bee will rebuild the harvested section and fill it with honey within 2 weeks. Thus we can harvest 2-3 times more often and ensure the existence of bee within the ecosystem. Previously people take the whole nest, so that larvae are taken as well.

Training of hygienic honey processing, and providing honey strainer, stainless steel knife, gloves, container. Previously the processing is done by bare hands, and sometimes people use paint bucket or whatever container easily found to keep the honey. Now we use drip system instead of hand pressing and only food grade container to collect the honey.

Marketing: we’re seeking alternative market on local and national level. E.g. We partner with CV Dian Niaga to promote and distribute forest honey product through exhibition, seminar, and media.

Organizational capacity building: we facilitate annual Forest Honey Network meeting as a media to exchange experience, updating progress, and to learn strategic planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

Conservation: we provide support for reforestation, to ensure availability of habitat and food for the bee.

Bihar Development Trust has always adopted an inclusive and innovative approach towards implementation of development projects. 100% of BDT beneficiaries are economically poor while more than 50% of them belong to backward caste, schedule caste and minority communities. The most innovative approach has been the model which BDT has adopted for promote market linkages for its producer owned organization which will be provided capacity building support for institution development, design development , marketing linkages etc. The mutual benefit trust of weavers are step in the directions. The mutual benefit trust will earn profit by doing sales and distribute the residual profit it among the members. Slowly, the residual profit is expected to rise and stablise at a level which will provide a decent quality of life to all of its members. The income proposed has sufficient income to spend for welfare purpose as well as provide bonus to the members. The model will create 100s of grass root institutions with 1000s of community leaders which will be robust enough to withstand all pressures of most of market and political forces. The model will result in significant wealth creation for the members as most of the gains of the value additions are passed back to them. If BDT succeeds in its vision of implementing such models across Bihar, it will be second instance of wealth generation at such a large scale after AMUL in India.