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During the month of November
2004, the new initiative called the Global Microentrepreneurship Awards recognizes
small business owners in countries around the world. The effort, spearheaded
by a group of US graduate students, is an official event in the launch of the
International Year of Microcredit. The competitions are taking place in Afghanistan,
Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Mexico, Mozambique, the United
States, Pakistan and Rwanda. Prominent leaders from the participating countries
are judging the businesses to select winners whose businesses have the greatest
economic and social impact on their families and communities. The Global Microentrepreneurship
Awards celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners by recognizing
their innovation and their perseverance under even the most challenging conditions.
The winning entrepreneurs
opened stock exchanges in cities all over the world.
Following are some highlights from
the competitions:
New York, USA
The New York Global Microentrepreneurship Award ceremony was held at Lehman
Brothers on 28 October. New York City microentrepreneurs from all types of business
ranging from corner grocery stores to hairbraiding parlors were judged on the
basis of family and community impact. Judges included Raluca Allison from Yale
Law School; Marcia Barris, Vice President of NASDAQ; Jean Hamerman, the Deputy
Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services; Theodore Janulis,
Managing Director of Lehman Brothers and Mark Rostick, Director of Intel Corporation.
And the winner is .
. . Fatimata Lonfo.
Fatimata Lonfo fled Cote d'Ivoire in October 2001. Now the proud owner
of Windyla's Boutique and Hair Braiding Salon in Staten Island, Fatimata credits
her success to God, to perseverance and to ACCION New York, a non-profit microfinance
organization that gave her first small business loan. Her business supports
her and her three children, the oldest of whom started community college this
fall. Fatimata along with runner up winners Jesus Martinez, Maria Cortez and
Stanley Springer will participate in an awards ceremony at NASDAQ on 18 November.
Upon learning that she would be received at the opening of the NASDAQ on the
launch day of the International Year of Microcredit, she exclaimed, “I
don't know that there's such a big event waiting for me again. That makes me
feel ah, like an important person now!”
Maputo, Mozambique
On 4 November, the Mozambique Global Microentrepreneurship Awards were held
in Maputo at the Centro de Conferencias do Instituto de Formaçao das
Telecomunicacoes (TDM). The event included workshops on how to grow businesses
and identify client needs. Marylene Spezzati, Resident Representative of UNDP,
delivered a keynote address on the opportunities provided by the provision of
basic financial services in Mozambique, as well as the future of microfinance
in the country. Joao Carrillo, Vice Minister of Agriculture served as president
of the jury.
And the winner is .
. . Lize Nhaca.
Lize Nhaca of Catembe, owner and manager of a small fishing enterprise and client
of Hluvuku-Male Yeru, is Mozambique's Microentrepreneur of the Year. In 2002,
Lize was unable to work for three months due to illness. When she recovered,
many of her fishing nets were ruined. Lize decided to apply for a loan with
Hluvuku-Adsema Fundo de Credito Male Yeru to cover the costs of resuming her
business. Since then she has been granted four loans, the first one in January
2003 for a total of around US$260 and the last one in September 2004 for around
US$690. With the support of Hluvuku’s financial services, Lize’s
commercial activities recovered, allowing her to financially support her extended
family and start building a new concrete house. In addition, her company has
generated four permanent job posts, seven temporary ones, and supports the work
of self-employed women that buy her fish to sell in Catembe and Maputo. Lize
Nhaca will be flown to Zurich by responsAbility to present her case at the SWX
Swiss Exchange. The contest second-prize winner and the four runners-up will
open the Maputo Stock Exchange on 18 November to launch the International Year
of Microcredit.
Cambodia
The Global Microentrepreneurship Awards in Cambodia were held Friday, 12 November.
His Excellency Sok Siphana, Secretary of State for Commerce delivered the keynote
address. The categories for the prizes ranged from “Best Artisan”
to “Most Innovative Business” to “Best Demonstration of Overcoming
Adversity”. Nineteen loan officers from registered Cambodian microfinance
organizations also competed for prize money and a chance to attend international
training courses.
And the winner is .
. . Toun Phaek
Toun Phaek is married with three dependents and runs a transportation business
in the bumpy province of Kampong Tom. After she borrowed from VFC, she expanded
her business, began earning a greater income and saved until she had enough
to buy a truck. Her transportation business provides a reliable way for people
to travel and gives her community access to the wider market. With the award
for “Most Innovative Business”, she is one of six winners. As the
winner in the “Best Artisan” category, Pat Loun, a carpenter who
makes souvenirs with her husband and adult sons, was selected by the Dutch Microfinance
Platform to represent Cambodia at the opening of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
in the Netherlands to mark the launch of the Year. She received her first loan
of US$500 in May of 2002 to buy raw materials, such as pieces of wood, soft
rock and plaster to make wooden herons and statues for a souvenir shop. She
has received subsequent loans to expand her business and with her next loan,
she will buy a machine to assist in the carving of the harder wood and bamboo.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic Global Microentrepreneurship Awards were held on Friday,
5 November at the Gran Hotel Lina in Santo Domingo. Twenty-four finalists were
in attendance and were recognized for businesses ranging from wholesale baking
to meat processing to small corner stores. Judges included the Sub-Secretary
of Finance, the president of one of the Dominican Republic’s largest telecom
companies, and the vice-president of the Dominican Stock Exchange.
And the winner is .
. . Martah Maritza Disla
Of the six winners, Martah earned the prize in the “Best Micro Services
Business” category. She operates a home school that offers initial and
basic education at a low cost to her community. Her school serves 35 students
in the morning and 38 in the afternoon. Before starting her school Ms. Disla
worked in a state office, but she dreamed of starting a school. When she started
out, the children had to sit on salsa tins and she needed chairs for them to
sit on, among other basic supplies. She held class on her patio and the children
would have to come into her house to stay dry when it rained. Thanks to a loan
from ASPIRE, she was able to buy chairs for the children. With a second loan,
Ms. Disla put a roof over her patio and increased the number of children attending.
With additional loans,she purchased a blackboard, desk and closet. Martha is
described by ASPIRE as a true community leader who not only earns money for
herself and her family but also provides an important service to her community.
Mexico
The Mexican Global Microentrepreneurship Awards were held on Friday, 12 November
at the Sheraton Hotel Centro Histórico. Fifteen finalists and over 100
guests were in attendance. Categories included “Best Entrepreneur”,
“Fastest Growing Business”, “Greatest Impact on the Community”
and “Best Cooperatively-Owned Business”. Judges included the deputy
mayor of Mexico City and the founder of one of Mexico’s largest restaurant
chains. The moderator for the event was Dra. María del Carmen Díaz,
Coordinator General of PRONAFIM.
And the winner is .
. . Sofía Nieto
Sofía Nieto, who won the award for “Fastest Growing Business”,
operates a workshop dedicated to the artistic design, cutting and stitching
of clothing. Her workshop is located in the home that she and her family rent
and Ms. Nieto counts on assistance from her three children and her husband.
According to Ms. Nieto, she “didn’t even know how to sew a button”
in 2003 but she was unemployed and wanted her three children to be able to attend
good schools so she took a course in cutting and stitching clothes. With an
old sewing machine, she began to make pajamas that she sold in the market. To
Ms. Nieto’s surprise, her sales picked up quickly, but without sufficient
machinery she contacted FONDESO and formed a solidarity group. Her first loan
was for 300 dollars and she is now taking loans of more than $2,000 and rapidly
expanding her business. Other winning businesses included a greenhouse, a hardware
store, a juice making business and a doll maker.
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