Archive for August, 2011

By Marcela Cubas

MBA Candidate, 2011

Proyecto Salta ha significado una de las experiencias más enriquecedoras para cada uno de los miembros en el equipo. Durante estos 3 meses, no sólo las mujeres han ganado más habilidades para poder operar mejor sus negocios, pero nosotros también hemos aprendido mucho de ellas!

Gracias a ellas, nos hemos enriquecido con el coraje, fuerza de voluntad y ganas de salir adelante que cada una de estas 120 mujeres empresarias peruanas llevan consigo.
Es admirable ver como, a pesar de tantas dificultades familiares, económicas y/o de autoestima, ellas siguen buscando el camino al éxito.

Estas mujeres intrínsecamente están ligadas a vidas difíciles, muchas veces llenas de un pasado colmado de sufrimiento, sin embargo siempre llevan consigo una mirada de esperanza en que sus vidas serán mejor en un futuro. Fue sumamente gratificante para nosotros el poder contribuir a delinear este camino al éxito!

En estos 3 meses, pudimos conocer a profundidad las necesidades de cada una de estas mujeres, sus sueños, su vida familiar, las dificultades que pasan en el negocio y muchos demás aspectos que son, sin lugar a duda, indispensables para superarse como empresarias.

Después de esta enriquecedora experiencia sólo nos queda agradecer a los organizadores del programa, a Thunderbird por hacer posible esta experiencia y sobretodo a nuestras excelentes mujeres, ya que sin ellas, este programa no tendría sentido! Esperamos haber podido despertar cada vez más el espíritu emprendedor en las mujeres peruanas y nos llevamos un permanente recuerdo de ellas, los momentos que pasamos y las experiencias de vida que quedan en nosotros!

Gracias proyecto Salta, Gracias Thunderbird y Gracias Perú!

By Amanda Roberson
MBA Candidate, 2012 

Our Proyecto Salta internships culminated last week with a celebratory gathering of the women entrepreneurs we trained during our three months in Lima. We weren’t quite sure what to expect when planning this event, but we could not have been more pleased with the results.

About half of the 120 women came to the party, an amazing turnout considering their busy schedules and the long distances they had to travel across this massive city to get there. One memorable moment was seeing the group of women we worked with from Manchay, a remote community formed on a dusty mountainside, come walking in a proud pack down the sidewalk to the entrance of the event. They had shed their practical polar fleeces for high heels, suits, makeup and new hairstyles. Giddy after making the journey to San Isidro, they posed for multiple photo shoots before entering the building and many more once they were inside. 

But perhaps the greatest highlight was hearing the women share their experiences with Proyecto Salta as they formed a circle and took turns introducing themselves. Although their businesses vary from small corner stores to costume shops to pharmacies, they share many things in common. They all find innovative ways to balance the demands of being mothers, wives and entrepreneurs. They all started with small businesses and have hopes of seeing them grow.

Without being prompted to do so, they explained how they are applying what they learned through their Proyecto Salta training in their businesses. The now infamous flujo de caja, or basic cash flow statement we taught them to manage their income and expenses, was a recurring theme. Many of them had never kept any type of accounting records, and they now view the flujo de caja as a powerful tool to gain control of their finances and ensure that their businesses are profitable. 

The circle activity took on the feel of group therapy at times as the women talked about the lack of support they receive from family, friends and neighbors. Machismo is alive and well in this culture, they said, and many people do not want to see women entrepreneurs succeed. With the universal goal of changing this stigma, the women then began to network among themselves. We interns stood back, watched and smiled they wasted no time making strategic connections. Milka, a seamstress, is going to make specialty dresses for Tania, who owns a formal clothing store. Marizol, an accountant, is going to help Tina continue to manage her debt while she helps Maria to formalize the newest part of her shoe business. Haydee found out about opportunities to pursue her dream of learning to make silver artisan jewelry. These are just a few of the connections made as energy and empowerment resonated throughout the group.

After many hugs and kisses, a few tears and a frenzy of photos, we said goodbye to our empresarias. As I leave Peru, I know that I will not forget any of the 24 women with whom I worked. I will remember their faces, their stories, their struggles and their successes. They inspire me enormously, just as they inspire each other.

By Emily Winans, MBA Candidate, 2012

Each day we spend on the road, we have the opportunity to experience the dramatically different worlds that exist in Peru. At times, I find myself needing to adjust back to the surroundings of the neighborhood in which I live at the end of the day.

The majority of the SALTA Interns live in Miraflores, a city along the coast that offers a variety of luxuries and pleasant ways to spend free time. Perfectly landscaped parks overlooking the water are frequented by families and couples who like to stroll along the path and take in the view. There are endless opportunities to enjoy the Peru’s rich culinary arts with views of the ocean or surrounded by a pleasantly decorated atmosphere. We live near a grocery store called Vivanda that is more expensive than a street market, but is clean, has a wide selection of products, and an interior that reminds me of AJ’s Fine Foods in Arizona.

By comparison, the areas where we work have more trash on the ground, poorer infrastructure, and have a more disorganized feeling about them. Some areas don’t even have addresses. The majority of the homes have water and electricity, but not without an occasional break in service. Some homes further out into the outskirts of Lima have outhouses. In general, the homes have a dark drafty feeling to them. Homes are made of brick or wood and during the winter months tend to be very cold. Some homes do not have roofs or are not completely enclosed.

The Gini coefficient is a measurement of the income inequality of a country’s population. A high number indicates that a larger portion of the income is being taken by a small group. A Gini coeficient over 50 indicates a serious problem with inequality. Peru has a Gini Coefficient of 52. By comparison, the Gini coefficient of Nordic countries is around 25 or 26 and of the United States is 41. According to the World Bank statistics, 34.8% of Peru’s population lives in poverty. We experience what life is like for the majority of Lima’s residents when we work in districts like San Juan de Lurigancho which has a population of 591,213 or San Martin de Porres with a population of 385,759.  A smaller portion of the population, 88,344, lives in Miraflores.

According to “The Puzzle of Latin America Economic Development,” inequality in Latin America began with economies based on commodities such as sugar and policy making that favored the elite over the poor. The book also states that there is 15% excess inequality in Latin America as compared to the rest of the world. The high return generated from scarce limited capital is the source for 1% of the 15%. The fortunate owners of the capital collect the 1% premium. Another 5% can be attributed to the unequal distribution of natural resources. The majority of the excess inequality is the result of the slow growth in numbers of years of education. In Latin America, it is very difficult to move up in economic status. From my experience in Peru, it appears that a major source of the inequality is education. Lower income families cannot afford to pay tuition for a private school for their children. As a result, the children receive a poor education that does not prepare them to compete in the job market with people who have been educated in private schools.

The transition at the end of the day can sometimes be a bit shocking. After visiting women who live in neighborhoods with dirt roads and who warn me of the dangers of the area, I go for a jog in a beautiful coastal park. In the park, I see parents strolling with a nanny dressed in white behind them pushing their kids in a stroller and holding a leash attached to a fluffy dog in a sweater. At times, it feels like a nice escape from the chaotic conditions we experience during the day; however, I always reflect on the women I work with who are fighting the poverty trap every day. When do they feel any kind of an escape?