SUCCESS BLOG
An unexpected miracle
Kenya. John Lutomia from Kenya prayed for 3 months to find a way to help his community before he found a Facebook ad promoting the Interweave Master of Business in the Streets program. He signed up for the course and fell in love with the curriculum. Wanting to do more, he continued his training to become a Success Ambassador (a facilitator or teacher of the MBS course to people in his local area). The Success Ambassador course requires that you facilitate and graduate a pilot group as a part of your training.
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Masters in Mali
Mali. Co-founder of Interweave Solutions, Lynn Curtis, recently had the privilege of traveling to the great country of Mali. Upon his return, he had so many wonderful stories to share about the wonderful people he met and the experiences he was able to share with them. There were over 5 villages represented during the course trainings, reliance groups were started, a women’s association developed, and over 20 participants graduated from the MBS program.
Live Better
Haiti. “My name is Emmanuel Paul. I am from a rural region of Haiti. I completed my studies in Food Science and Technology in 2016. I co-founded a corporation in 2016 that works with farmers and rural women on agro-entrepreneurship and agro-processing to create added value on farms in northern Haiti. I discovered a Facebook posting describing the “Master in the Street” course in October 2019, and I quickly grasped the opportunity.
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Mercy Rules
Nigeria. “My name is Mercy. I am Nigerian, a mother of four and a business owner. I was introduced to Interweave Solutions by a Success Ambassador Mr. Yusuf. Prior to the time I was very sad on how I spend so much without being able to account for it. My business was not flourishing and
had to close down business because it was not providing as much as I wanted. I was thinking on how to make my business work, be able to spend wisely and save money for the things I wanted to do. I found myself needing professional help. It was at this point that Mr Yusuf told me about Interweave Solutions. I visited the website and jumped at it.
Alphabetized
Mexico. “In one of our literacy self-reliance groups in Chiapas, Mexico, there lives a woman named Maria. She is sixty years old but eagerly started attending the group because it has been her dream to learn how to read and write. Even though she just started attending the group only a few weeks ago, she now knows how to write her name, the vowels, and is diligently learning the rest of the letters in the alphabet. She says that finally learning to read and write has brought her more joy than she knew was possible.”
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Manicures and Massages
Colombia. Shortly after our conference in Ecuador last spring, Nelson Triana landed a contract with his local government, authorizing him to teach the MBS course in schools as part of their business curriculum. After presenting the program and modeling the teaching style, he was offered positions in 3 different schools, teaching 5 different courses. This work has been so successful and kept him so busy that he’s had to turn down other schools that want the MBS materials taught in their business departments.
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A Changed Woman
Nigeria. Peace struggled to find a job in her local area for a long time. She finally decided to start a business as a hairdresser, but when her shop started to fail financially, and she became depressed. Peace was incredibly discouraged at the life she had been handed. But one day, her dear friend invited her to take the Master of Business in the Streets self-reliance course. Within weeks, Peace was able to learn principles to apply to her hair salon to improve the state of her business. At the end of the course a few months later, Peace was empowered with knowledge and was able to make her salon self-sustaining. Because of her great success in her salon, she decided to start a second business doing laundry, which she saw as a need in her community.
“They all are so happy”
Lome, Togo. After receiving his Success Ambassador certification only a few months ago, Azedzi Ganyo worked hard to gather his friends and colleagues, tell them how the MBS program had impacted his life, and invite them to have a similar experience by joining his new MBS group. Some people came, and some even brought their friends, until Azedzi found himself with a group of 15 dedicated learners, who have since completed the MBS program and improved their quality of life.
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Caribbean Connections
Haiti. Like many Ambassadors, when Jean Godenson came in contact with Interweave Solutions, he had no idea how it would impact his life. He was working in North Sudan and traveling back to Haiti every few months to visit his wife and young son. As he searched for work opportunities for an educated Haitian, he came across Interweave at a freelancing job site, looking for help translating some materials into French Creole. As he worked on translating the materials, Jean realized there might be more for him and the people in Haiti. He said “We did the work and I loved the materials and asked how I could get involved. Here I am today as the first Interweave Success Ambassador in Haiti. What a beautiful and exciting journey!”
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Partnership in Peru
Utah. The old saying goes, “Many hands make light work”, and our partnership with Eagle Condor has helped us in this since we began working with them back in 2012.
Eagle Condor is an NGO that aims to eradicate poverty in South America. Using four Pillars of Self-Reliance– Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Career Development– they help people gain and retain the abilities to support themselves, their families, and their communities.
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2019 Ambassador Conference – Africa
Benin. After many hours of planning and preparation, we were finally blessed to gather as an Interweave family in the beautiful nation of Benin, to receive training and strengthen relationships between Success Ambassadors from all over Africa. We had representation from Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Liberia, for a total of 45 Ambassadors plus members of the Interweave Board and Donors from the United States.
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The key is being unique
Colombia. Success Ambassador Darío Sanchez noticed an opportunity when he heard about the “Cedezos” program sponsored by the city government. This program supports the development of business and entrepreneurship in local areas by setting up training centers in each community in the city. Darío knew this would be a perfect place to implement the MBS program, so he presented the idea to the Cedezo in his neighborhood and explained to them the difference between Interweave’s training and other programs they might have tried in the past.
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Making a difference outside of business
Togo. There are over 360,000 orphans in Togo, due to many health and economic conditions. One MBS group in Togo recognized the need of these children and decided to build their community service project around them. They arrived at the orphanage and assisted in cleaning and organizing the home, as well as provided food and supplies to the children.
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Investing in the Future
Honduras. Ambassador Jonathan Rodriguez led his youth group in a community service project, cleaning and cultivating a municipal nursery in his community. Many students participated and shared their thoughts about the project as well as the MBS program. One of the students commented that through community service, students and future professionals like them reflect a positive image to society. “Community service is very important, it’s good for people.” He explained how much he had learned through his MBS studies, especially about the Quality of Life Plan and the importance of saving regularly, which he had never considered before.
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Alcoholic or Entrepreneur?
Quito, Ecuador. Don Luis cleans and shines shoes on the street, making between 7-8 dollars a day. For many years, he has used a good portion of this money to satisfy his alcohol addiction. However, as he recently began taking the MBS course offered to him by a fellow street vendor, he realized the importance of saving money and has significantly reduced his alcohol consumption. Not only does he have more money to invest in his business and meet his personal needs, but this change of lifestyle has played a role in improving his home life and family relationships.
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From skeptical to successful
Lagos, Nigeria. Victoria is married to a Success Ambassador. She watched her husband facilitate self-reliance groups and she was a witness to the success he had in helping people start and grow their businesses. She was never opposed to the program, but she “never took it seriously” either; she just didn’t feel any connection. Then, after some complications in her own business, she found herself in financial crisis. She reached out to a local micro-finance bank, hoping to receive enough funding to save her business and help provide for her family. But when the bank asked for a copy of her cashflow statement, she had nothing to show. She knew this was something her husband taught regularly in his MBS courses, so she sought his assistance.
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