In collaboration with Universidad Santo Tomás, a sister institution member of the International COuncil of Universities of St. Thomas Aquinas (ICUSTA) we have started an academic collaboration, the first of its kind in ICUSTA, dedicated to the development of a marginalized area in La Pintana, Chile, through loans granted by the UST Social Entrepreneurship Program. Since ours is mainly an academic program it is in our interest to establish institutional mechanisms through which these types of programs can be reproduced in other universities around the world.
The UST Entrepreneurship Program has allocated 4,000 USD to the program and a group of 8 women in La Pintana are already producing Chocolate that UST students will be helping to commercialize in the local and international markets.
Goals:
Promote female microentrepreneurship by financially supporting an all female chocolate production cooperative
Design a business plan for the group of women
Establish sales locations and a client portfolio
Identify necessary resources and provide work materials & training
Did You Know? The average micro-credit loan amount is $50. On average, $500 means 10 loans in 10 different places. Imagine how much good we can do as a community.
