Day 513: Micro-business Summer School

Here are the micro-business students receiving their certificates and heading off into the world of sales and profits!
Here we are playing 'The Human Knot' - Our business students learning some techniques on creativity!

Yosy, one of our students, presents her group's propaganda for selling juice in Musho at the 'Bank' in order to take out a loan of about $10 to purchase the fruits necessary.

PCVL Ryan and our good friend, LWell played the bankers for the kids to present their loan applications.

Libby and I developed a small course to offer to high school (secondary) students teaching the basics of running a small business. We had 12 student sign up (most kids leave Musho and visit family in other cities during the long break from school). Each kid paid 10 soles, which they receive again at the end of class if they attend regularly. With all the money we formed a bank fund that the kids could ¨borrow¨ from for their business start-up loan.

We had two competing juice businesses that sold enough to pay back their loans and earn a profit! As if this wasn´t exciting enough for us, one group decided to reinvest their profits to buy the ingredients for tamales. This group of 12 to 13 year olds made a bunch more money. It turns out we did not need tons of business experience to teach youth to manage a small one-day business. Hopefully, we will be able to keep something going with the kids. There is talk of forming an Environmental Business Club where the kids would make handicrafts out of recycled products and sell them with our guidance. We´ll keep ya posted...

As a celebration, we took a wonderful hike together to a nearby mountain lake and played Carnaval (throwing water at each other). Libby even taught the kids how to swim!