The “Queen” of Koto Soap Achieves Her Business Dreams in Benin
Determined to support her family, Dossi Degui turned to TechnoServe for better business skills. Now she sells her artisanal soap around the country--and can't keep up with demand.
“I Couldn’t Reconcile Working and Looking After My Children”: How a Small Business Owner in Mozambique Defied COVID-19 to Turn Her Salon Around
A business skills training program helped Gilda Lourenço find a way to care for her family while helping her small business survive the pandemic. And now she’s ready for more.
Making a Lasting Impact: Q&A with Rob Johnson, Former TechnoServe Fellow and Social Enterprise Entrepreneur
Rob Johnson is a former TechnoServe Fellow who worked in Haiti in 2011 performing a poultry value chain assessment. After his time as a Fellow, Rob returned to serve as a program manager in the TechnoServe Haiti Office. He then launched a social enterprise in Haiti called Acceso, which works to improve smallholder farmer income through inclusive value chains. In this Q&A, Rob shares how TechnoServe played a foundational role in his life and social enterprise career.
A Hostel Owner From Peru Leads Her Small Business With Determination: How Ermelinda Vargas Paye is Overcoming COVID-19 Challenges
Ermelinda Vargas Paye, owner of Hostel Mary in the city of Moquegua, Peru, won’t let COVID-19 steal her spirit – or her livelihood. A lifelong attitude of determination, and business training from TechnoServe, prepared her to lead her enterprise through the pandemic.
Five Reasons to be Excited for the Future of Small Business
Despite the challenges small- and medium-sized businesses have faced throughout the pandemic, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. From Benin to El Salvador to India, read about five reasons to get excited about what’s ahead.
Youth in Central America Need New Economic Opportunities. What Role Can Small and Growing Businesses Play?
In Central America, the number of young people entering the job market outpaces the availability of jobs. But many young people lack the skills they need to find or create economic opportunities, leading them to seek a better future elsewhere. How can thriving small and growing businesses reverse this trend?
Making This Year Better Than the Last: A Recent Survey Assesses the Pandemic’s Impacts on Micro and Small Businesses
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in NextBillion as a part of the series “Recovery 2021,” which explores how businesses, development initiatives and the communities they serve in low- and middle-income countries are building greater resilience for a post-pandemic future. At the worst…
COVID-19 and the State of Small Businesses in the Developing World in 2021
TechnoServe’s COVID-19 Impact Report examines how the pandemic disrupted key sectors of emerging economies and the livelihoods of those who work in them. Our third feature in our blog series on the report highlights the challenges small businesses faced last year and the opportunities to move toward business survival and recovery in 2021 and beyond.
How One Entrepreneur is Transforming His Meat Shop, and His Life
In Honduras, TechnoServe is supporting entrepreneurs like Gustavo Zelaya through Impulsa tu Empresa — a program that provides small and growing businesses with essential mentorship and business training.
CASHEW PREMIUM MARKETS: Traceability and Transparency
Increasingly, global consumers want to know about the origin of their food. Efficient, transparent supply chain management systems allow for the tracking of a product from harvest through transport, storage, processing, and commercialization. Information collected along the way helps to enhance supply-side management, mitigate risks to food safety, and facilitate…
