Life Excellence Center
by SHAPE International Burundi Opportunity
The goal of the Life Excellence Center is to provide business and job skills training to vendors to help them rebuild their businesses.
Answers to Questions Posted about ago
Why are you offering training as a solution to the market fire?
Great question! In August CAPS, SHINE and SHAPE met with the trade union that represents 3000 members who were impacted by the fire. One of the outcomes from that meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding between the partners to work toward two objectives:
1) Develop a training center for the vendors impacted by the fire
2) Build a new market for the vendors
In order for vendors to receive loans to rebuild their businesses, the trade union is requiring them to receive training in a few areas - insurance, financial management, and skills to help them rebuild their businesses. This training is one component in our overall plan to give vendors the highest possible opportunity to succeed. Another component is that each vendor must be a member of a solidarity group that will provide accountability for loan funds.
What is the plan for rebuilding the market?
We are working with the trade union to develop an advisory board that will guide efforts to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the market. This is a very large effort that will require significant resources. To give an idea of the scope of this effort, the estimated loss in the fire was over $25 million of products. Several things have already been done. For example, the trade union has created a co-op that will fund vendor loans, we have met with government officials to discuss a new location for the market, and vendors have already begun setting up small shops in alternate locations.
What is the total cost of the training center?
The cost of the land and buildings that are on the property is $20,000. For the first phase of this project we are raising funds for a down payment on the land and buildings with the remainder of the funds being raised over the next several months. However, we will be able to expand our training program once the down payment is made.
Are the land and buildings currently being used?
Yes. SHINE has been renting the land and using it for training and church services. Some of the photos for the fund raiser were taken from recent training events. However, we are unable to build additional facilities on the land until we sign a contract to purchase it. The funds we are raising will allow us to do that.
Great question! In August CAPS, SHINE and SHAPE met with the trade union that represents 3000 members who were impacted by the fire. One of the outcomes from that meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding between the partners to work toward two objectives:
1) Develop a training center for the vendors impacted by the fire
2) Build a new market for the vendors
In order for vendors to receive loans to rebuild their businesses, the trade union is requiring them to receive training in a few areas - insurance, financial management, and skills to help them rebuild their businesses. This training is one component in our overall plan to give vendors the highest possible opportunity to succeed. Another component is that each vendor must be a member of a solidarity group that will provide accountability for loan funds.
What is the plan for rebuilding the market?
We are working with the trade union to develop an advisory board that will guide efforts to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the market. This is a very large effort that will require significant resources. To give an idea of the scope of this effort, the estimated loss in the fire was over $25 million of products. Several things have already been done. For example, the trade union has created a co-op that will fund vendor loans, we have met with government officials to discuss a new location for the market, and vendors have already begun setting up small shops in alternate locations.
What is the total cost of the training center?
The cost of the land and buildings that are on the property is $20,000. For the first phase of this project we are raising funds for a down payment on the land and buildings with the remainder of the funds being raised over the next several months. However, we will be able to expand our training program once the down payment is made.
Are the land and buildings currently being used?
Yes. SHINE has been renting the land and using it for training and church services. Some of the photos for the fund raiser were taken from recent training events. However, we are unable to build additional facilities on the land until we sign a contract to purchase it. The funds we are raising will allow us to do that.
Posted by
SHAPE International
- $3,500 Funding Goal
- $3,275 Still Needed
- 5,000 Lives Impacted
- Ended Nov 07, 2013
Field Partner
806
Wake Forest, NC, US
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