Peace Corps Dominican Republic

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Peace Corps Dominican Republic

• Community Economic Development
• Project

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How was the Project Developed?

• FACTORS
• Economic Situation In the Dominican Republic
• 15 unemployment rate
• 350,000 small business generating over 1 million
  jobs
• Given the small-scale at which most businesses
  operate, there continues to be incomplete access
  to technological, business and market information
  
• Reliance on subsidized credit

• PARTNERS
• IDECOOP
• ADELVA
• ADELDA
• MUDE
• FONDESA
• ASPIRE
• ECLOF
• FUNDASUR
• LEMBA
• ADEMI
• Local and regional cooperatives
• UNACAFEM
• Caficultores de Bani
• FEGRUCA

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Snapshot View of Dominican Economy

• GDP per Capita 1,770
• Lack of public services such as health care,
  potable water, and electricity
• 25 of population lives below the poverty line
• Annual growth rate 8
• Life Expectancy 66.7 years

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• COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• PROJECT PLAN

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Project Strategy

• CED PCVs will work in partnership with
  Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community
  Based Organizations (CBOs) and/or Government
  Organizations (GOs) as they promote economic /
  community development within rural and semi-urban
  communities. Within this sector, PCVs will
  assess and transfer knowledge and skills within
  three beneficiary oriented focus areas (1)
  Organizations (2) Entrepreneurs and, (3)
  Communities. CED PCVs will be targeting these
  three beneficiary areas through working
  specifically with Micro-credit Organizations,
  Cooperatives Community Based Agrarian
  Organizations.

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Project Purpose

• The PC/DR CED project seeks to strengthen the
  capacity of community-serving organizations,
  small business entrepreneurs and community
  members throughout the Dominican Republic in a
  manner that promotes locally driven projects
  aimed to enhance the socio-economic dimensions of
  the local community.

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Project Goals

• GOAL 1 Project Assessment and
• Planning
• GOAL 2 Team Building
• GOAL 3 Organizational Development IT Training

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GOAL 1NGOs, CBOs (women/youth groups) and GOs
in the CED sector will strengthen their
organizational capacity to work for/with
marginalized communities through effective
planning and management practices.

• Objective 1 By the end of FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs
  and their project partners will train 150
  organizations and community groups in project
  assessment and planning practices.
• Objective 2 By the end of FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs
  and their project partners will train and support
  150 organizations in team building skills.
• Objective 3 By the end of FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs
  and their project partners will advise and train
  150 community-serving organizations in the areas
  of organizational strengthening and information
  technology.

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GOAL 2Small business entrepreneurs (women, men
and youth) will create or improve small
enterprises by increasing knowledge and skills in
project development and fundamental business
management abilities.

• Objective 1 By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and their
  project partners will train 2,000 entrepreneurs
  in assessment and planning techniques around
  creating small businesses or enhancing existing
  businesses.
• Objective 2By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and their
  project partners will support and train 2,000
  youth and adult entrepreneurs in basic business
  execution skills and practices.
• Objective 3 By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and their
  project partners will train 2,000 individuals in
  IT the Internet .

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GOAL 3 CED Organizations and individual
entrepreneurs will work in partnership in
developing projects that can enhance the
economic, social and cultural well-being of the
communities .

• Objective 1 By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and their
  project partners will develop and sustain a
  cohesive network of organizations working within
  each community.
• Objective 2 By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and their
  project partners will train 1000 business
  entrepreneurs in identifying, planning,
  implementing and managing community development
  projects .
• Objective 3 By FY 2006, 60 CED PCVs and
  community partners will identify and work in
  partnership with two colleague PCVs (1 PCV/
  Project Partner per year) in relevant sectors to
  create or enhance community knowledge or projects.

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Typical Volunteer Cycle

• Pre-Service Training (12 weeks including CBT)
• Months 0-3 Community Diagnostic and Relation
  Building
• 3 Month IST Diagnostic Report and Start the 1st
  Year Project Planning Process
• Months 3-12 Complete Project Plan, Implement,
  and Monitor project
• 12 Month IST Evaluate 1st year progress and Plan
  2nd Year
• Months 12-24 Reformulate, Implement, Monitor,
  and Evaluate project
• Months 21-24 Begin transition process
• Pre, 3, 12 month Site Visits
• Close of Service Conference

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Top Ten Activities in the CED Project

• Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management
  Workshops
• Teambuilding activities
• Inventory education and assessment activities
• Feasibility, SWOT analyses and market studies to
  start small businesses
• Strengthening top micro-credit institution at the
  central office.
• Project Planning workshops
• Impact studies on loan recipients
• Working with coffee farmers to market their
  product
• Strengthening Cooperatives
• MS Excel Training Guide

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Typical Volunteer Cycle

• Pre-Service Training (12 weeks including CBT)
• Months 0-3 Community Diagnostic and Relation
  Building
• 3 Month IST Diagnostic Report and Start the 1st
  Year Project Planning Process
• Months 3-12 Complete Project Plan, Implement,
  and Monitor project
• 12 Month IST Evaluate 1st year progress and Plan
  2nd Year
• Months 12-24 Reformulate, Implement, Monitor,
  and Evaluate project
• Months 21-24 Begin transition process
• Pre, 3, 12 month Site Visits
• Close of Service Conference

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Success Story Danny Sutton

• Danny Sutton (2001-2003) assisted an ag-business
  non-profit, CIMPA, in the community of Estancia
  del Yaque near Santiago in its micro-credit
  activities. Danny helped the NGO to assess its
  impact and to re-structure its loan program. The
  first step has been to do a field study on the
  major Micro-credit NGOs in the country with the
  purpose of providing some promising practices
  which with to further reflect. Dannys work with
  the NGO has produced an in-house document
  entitled Systemization of Experiences, where
  the critical reflections of CIMPA as well as the
  promising practices of other players in the
  country are revealed.

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Being a Volunteer is

• A Unique Experience
• A Challenging Experience
• A Growing Experience
• A Sharing Experience
• An Unforgettable Experience
• IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DECIDE IT WILL BE!

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Peace Corps Dominican Republic

• Are you ready for the challenge?
• Welcome to the
• Community Economic Development Project