Acción Emprendedora
 | |
| non-profit organization | |
| Industry | training and assisting owners of poor micro-enterprises |
| Founded | Santiago de Chile |
| Headquarters | Santiago de Chile, Chile |
Area served | Latin America; Durham, NC |
| Slogan | To overcome poverty through entrepreneurship. |
| Website | accionemprendedora.org portalmicroempresa.org |
Acción Emprendedora (or Accion Emprendedora or AE) is a non-profit organization based in Santiago de Chile. AE publishes its mission statement as seeking to eradicate poverty in Latin America by training and assisting poor small business owners.[1] AE is based in Chile, where 62% of national employment is linked to micro-enterprises, half of whose employees have not completed their basic education.[2] In Chile, 98% of businesses are small businesses and micro-entreprises.[3] AE seeks to help microentrepreneurs grow their businesses through education and mediating loan negotiations.
Development model
AE uses a three-step development model:[4]
- AE offers basic and advanced business classes in entrepreneurial communities.[5]
- AE provides access to low-rate microcredit that would be otherwise unavailable to impoverished communities.[6]
- AE provides free consulting services during the initial development or growth of the micro-enterprise, as well as free access to technology.[7]
Progress to date
Since 2003, AE has trained over 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs, and in the Santiago Learning Center alone trained 500 micro-entrepreneurs in 2010.[8] AE also mediates loans for its entrepreneurs through various banks including the Banco de Dessarrollo, Banco Santander, and the Women's World Banking FINAM. For its efforts, AE has received international recognition from the Inter-American Development Bank as one of the 40 best social projects in Latin America.[9]
Awards
AE has received awards in Chile and throughout Latin America.
- In 2004, AE was named as one of the 40 best social projects in Latin America by the Inter-American Development Bank.[10]
- In 2005, AE was awarded "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Federation of Chilean Industry (SOFOFA) and Universidad del Desarrollo.[11]
- In 2008, AE was awarded the Duke University NGO Excellence Award.[12]
- In 2009, AE won the Miguel Kast Prize for Free Market Solutions to Poverty by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.[13]
- In 2010, AE was awarded the Atlas Foundation Prize.
- In 2011, AE won the Duke Center for International Development (DCID) Alumni Award for NGO Excellence.[14]
Results
- 85% of entrepreneurs said they had increased their productivity after taking classes at AE.
- 40% of the respondents said that after attending training courses, their income increased between 40% and 80% as a result of acquired knowledge.
- 70% of the graduates increased sales.
- Sales increased an average of 106% for graduates of the program.
- 36% of alumni hired at least 1 worker within 6 months of graduating from AE.[15]
In addition to the above, to measure its effects, Acción Emprendedora has implemented a database system, innovative methodologies, rigorous monitoring. Thus it is possible to accurately measure how many jobs are generated by the model implemented, the cost per additional job, and what sales growth the micro enterprises supported; increases in their income, the percentage completion, among others.
Learning centers
AE currently has 6 entrepreneurial centers in Chile located in Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Antofagasta, San Pedro de Atacama, and Coronel. Additionally, AE has continued expansion into neighboring countries including Guatemala, where AE had to close due to political instability and Peru, where it is still strong today. In the future, there is a plan in place to open a learning center in Durham, NC, after AE finished as a finalist in the Duke University Start-Up Challenge.[16] There are also plans to share the AE model in Ecuador.
Courses
AE offers courses for small business formation and growth, such as management courses. AE also offers workshops for entrepreneurs, such as accounting, marketing, digital literacy, among others. AE offers workshops for entrepreneurs ("Beginning your business"), micro business owners ("Growing your business"), and small business owners ("Consolidating your business").
AE opens its courses to those of all levels of education: no education, basic education, secondary school, technical school, university-level, and professional.
Participating business sectors
- Agriculture
- Crafts and traditional art
- Commerce
- Confection
- Construction
- Food services
- Services
- Transportation
eMarketplace project
AE is in the early stages of developing an online marketplace that will enable entrepreneurs in AE's municipalities to sell their products to US consumers.
See also
- Accion International
- Accion USA
- Grameen Bank
- Project Enterprise
References
- ↑ Acción Emprendedora
- ↑ "Estudio de Sercotec". Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ↑ Americas Quarterly
- ↑ Acción Emprendedora, Our Work
- ↑ Acción Emprendedora, The Business Courses
- ↑ Acción Emprendedora, Micro Credit Application
- ↑ Acción Emprendedora, Tutoring for Entrepreneurs
- ↑ Keller, Nicole. Incubating Entrepreneurs. IADB
- ↑ IADB: Promotions of Volunteerism to Strengthen Microenterprises Page 4.
- ↑ IADB: Promotions of Volunteerism to Strengthen Microenterprises Page 4.
- ↑ Duke Engage Chile Miscellaneous
- ↑ Duke Engage Chile Miscellaneous
- ↑ Atlas Network 2009 Year-In-Review
- ↑ DCID DCID Alumni Award Recipients Announced: NGO Excellence Award
- ↑ Survey of ~1000 alumni
- ↑ Duke University Start-Up Challenge Finalists