Newsletter 2009

In January of 2009 interns spent a semester in Peru teaching the business training course designed by USU students and faculty. Several new groups graduated from the course with business plans which will be used as applications for funding to start their business.
In the summer of the same year,with the help of student interns and the study abroad group, three groups were approved for loans and began the start-up phase of their business. These businesses consisted of a Cuy farm, a mini-market expansion, and a sowing machine business, however, the primary leader of the sowing machine business experienced health problems and eventually passed away. Thus, only two businesses remained. However, the Cuy farm and the mini-market are both fully operational and the mini-market began making loan payments in July, 2010 after remodeling and ramping up inventory. The Cuy farm had to overcome several hurdles but eventually purchased a plot of land and constructed an adequate building to raise and protect the Cuy to sell in the market.