SUCCESS BLOG

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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.

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“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.

Azedzi said the program had a good impact in the life of each participant, but most notably he shared a few specific experiences that were highlighted in the graduation ceremony last week.

One of his participants had been working as the manager of a relative’s business, but found it difficult to have the time and resources to take care of his own family. As he learned about the Quality of Life wheel, he realized that all aspects of his life were interrelated and that he had the power to control all of them. So he shared the things he was learning with his wife and they started building a new plan. They opened a business selling eggs and have concrete plans to turn it into a bigger poultry farm, which will allow the time and income to be successful in business, home and community.

Another man said that he had taken entrepreneurship courses before, but had never heard anything so simple and practical as the 6Ps of business that the MBS course taught. He also shared his findings with his wife and together, they started keeping records and have plans to start up a new business.

Watching and helping so many people improve their businesses, their families and their communities is inspiring. Azedzi said, “As a Success Ambassador, I get a great feeling; I do not know how to express it. My emotion was so high when they bear these testimonies. I have been able to change those persons lives through the MBS program; we were with them always, made follow-up, and helped them in their challenges. I think I will do more with others.”

He and his partners are pleased with the success they have seen, but they are not satisfied. They continue working to help these people maintain the self-reliance they have found. “At the end, I see that they became all very responsible. They wanted to do something better. For that reason, we are about to sign some partnership with some Microfinance Institution so that it can sponsor them for the realization of their projects.”

At Interweave, our mission is to strengthen the businesses, homes and communities of those who take our courses, improving the overall quality of life, and we seek to make positive changes permanent. This group in Togo exemplifies these values and we are so excited to continue watching them grow.

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!”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Coping with Conflicting Beliefs

Nigeria. Yusuf Bala received a degree in Business Administration from Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, but had never been able to make ends meet. He says he had always been dependent on his brothers, but he wanted to provide for himself. He came across the MBS program and it looked like it could be the answer, but he worried because course was introduced in Nigeria through a notable Christian pastor and Yusuf was Muslim.

After attending a few of the initial classes, members of Yusuf’s family found out that he was associated with this Christian group and thought it was an indication that he had been converted from their traditional Islam faith. Yusuf says, “When my eldest brother got to know about it… he was furious and told me to stop going. I told the brother who introduced me to Interweave… that I won’t be able to end the course with all of them. He was furious and went mad by telling me ‘Your destiny is in your hands, so you have a choice to decide.’ After missing two classes, I thought about the whole scenario and summoned the courage to attend class regularly.”

Yusuf reflects on the life-changing improvements he’s been able to make in his business and in his everyday life, due to the training of the MBS course. Most notably, he is thankful for the additional knowledge he gained regarding the 6Ps of business, keeping an income and expense log, cash flow projections and simply saving money daily. He says each of these principles is “a vital aspect that had broadened [his] knowledge on achieving in business.”

Yusuf graduated from the MBS course in June 2019, alongside his Christian friend who introduced him to the course. He is now “gainfully employed with the establishment of [his] own Cassava farm” and within the next few months is expecting to make significant profit with his first harvest. He reflects, “I am enjoying every bit of my new venture because I can see prosperous future in my new calling as a farmer, and the same brother of mine had been a pillar of encouragement since he saw the manual of the course and its contents.”

Thanks to supportive family, friends and Interweave team and a courageous personal decision, Yusuf was able to overcome difficult circumstances and reach outside his comfort zone in order to improve his home, business and community.

***Note: Interweave Solutions is not affiliated with nor do we promote any specific religious or political group.

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COMING SOON: MBS Jr.

Colombia. Two important values at Interweave Solutions are “always improving” and “mutual respect for all.” These two principles have taken on meaning as we’ve worked to weave them together through the MBS Jr. Program. Although the curriculum itself will not be released until later this year, we are excited to share the progress of a pilot group of youth this past month.

Creating Family in Mali

Mali. Co-founder and Executive Director, Lynn Curtis, returned recently from a successful trip to Mali, where he trained a group of 26 native Malians in the MBS program. They have all submitted their paperwork and have been approved to receive their MBS certificates later in July. These humble and hardworking entrepreneurs worked for three days straight in temperatures reaching 107° F to receive the training necessary and complete their business, home and community plans.

Rapid Progress in Togo

Togo. A couple months ago we shared some pictures of the MBS group in Togo. Since that inicial push, we have seen incredible progress throughout Togo and just recently certified 7 more Success Ambassadors in the country! We are excited, both with the quantitative growth as well as the quality of dedicated and hardworking Success Ambassadors joining our international team! Here are some reasons why these great people wanted to become Success Ambassadors:

“The reason that I want to be a Success Ambassador is because I want to be an example of success and help those who are around me get training. My favorite part about the MBS course was how it taught you to make a report for your expenses. I now have a very clear idea about my financial situation. I also helped my wife in her small cooking business as she decided what products to choose and I taught her about the 6P’s. Now she and I are both happy and successful.”

-Anani

“I am happy to be a Success Ambassador. I now manage my business with more confidence because the principles I learned in the MBS helped me to become a better businessman. The part that I liked the most about MBS was that it taught me to be continually saving money.”

– Toye

“Through the MBS course I was able to see an incredible positive impact in my life. It changed me as a person and changed the way that I wanted to treat and serve others. I want to be a Success Ambassador in order to help others go through the same experience.”

– Koffi

“It was a challenge for me to take the MBS course and try to acheive self-reliance. For that reason, I want to become a Success Ambassador, to challenge myself to remain self-reliant and to teach and challenge others to do the same. My favorite part of the mBS course was that I learned how to make a report of my expenses. I know now how to use my money more wisely.”

-Tiempo

“I took the MBS course because I wanted a new project. What I got out of it was a way to help my entire family! I had been looking for a way to help support my family and help them become more successful, and I feel surprised and happy that I found tools to help me do that through the MBS course. I now want each of my family members to become a Success Ambassador.”

– Azedzi

“The MBS training is something special. It helped me to focus more on the areas of my life and help me progress. It is so unique to other trainings, and easy to be successful at the end of the program. I want to become a Success Ambassador to share this unique program with others.”

– Tozo

2019 Convention

Ecuador. Last week members of our team gathered with Success Ambassadors from around the world for the second annual Interweave Convention. There were about 30 Success Ambassadors representing Colombia, Chile, Turkey, Ecuador and the Unites States. Through bonding activities and training workshops, Interweave partners were able to grow together and really come to appreciate each others’ efforts and sacrifices.

The First MBS Group in Togo

Lomé, Togo. Success Ambassadors in Benin have been training a man in the MBS course from the neighboring country of Togo. Now this participant has become a Success Ambassador himself and has started his own group. Here are some photos of the first MBS group in Togo!

Togo. Success Ambassadors in Benin have been training a man in the MBS course from the neighboring country of Togo. Now this participant has become a Success Ambassador himself and has started his own group. Here are some photos of the first MBS group in Togo!

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Master of Business in the Streets

Counseling in the Streets

Interweave Solutions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit recognized by the IRS, and all donations to Interweave Solutions are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.

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