Change in Ecuador!

The Quito Entrepreneur Program launched in 2020 to address the critical needs of Ecuadorian families through a business start-up program. Working with our project partner, Pan De Vida, we started with 35 entrepreneurs. To date, over 200 projects launched with 115 projects graduating to the next level of funding and training!

Last month we went around and surveyed many of these projects. Absolutely, inspiring! While most are agricultural – raising crops, chickens, guinea pigs, and other animals – many are venturing into retail and textiles. We learned a lot about their successes, as well as the challenges.

Many of their stories were inspiring: Like Jesus, who now has 4 churro carts and profits $1,500 a month from his small franchise; the amazing story of the Venezuelan immigrants who started a bakery that now has 88 clients, including a hospital; or the several farming projects, including one where a woman entrepreneur creatively acquired free use of a hillside plot of land that nobody wanted and turned it into a farm.

Rosa turned this abandoned hillside into a farm!

William and Anna run a bakery from their home serving 88 clients, including a hospital.