Learn and apply supply chain strategies to support coffee or honey producers in Honduras.
Students are guided by our local economic development professionals and mentors from leading consulting firms to learn about the coffee or honey supply chains and make recommendations to our coffee-producing or honey-producing clients to generate more income. Students will gain exposure to coffee or honey farmers, cooperatives, local buyers, and exporters/importers. Through interviews, industry research, return on investment calculations, and cultural sharing, students make recommendations to the clients to help them decide what additional value-add activities they should adopt and what investments to make to increase profitability. The curriculum culminates in students helping to post a loan to Kiva.org to grant access to financing any of the recommendations that the clients would like to take.
In addition to our skill-based learning objectives, building cultural competence is integrated into the course to increase the quality of services and improve outcomes with community partners.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Customize your Business TeleBrigade by selecting a set of modules. Explore available modules below:
Module 1: Introductions and Program Overview
Coordinator and student introductions along with a presentation on Global Brigades (GB) in Honduras. Self-paced Activity: Group reviews Honduras’ economic development program materials in the context of GB’s Holistic Model for community development.
Module 2: Presenting the Coffee or Honey Cooperative
Coordinator presents information about the coffee or honey cooperative that the group is going to support (depending on the season). Self-paced Activity: Group reviews information about the cooperative’s operations and researches their geographical and cultural context.
Module 3: Meeting with Supply Chain Expert
Supply chain expert in either coffee or honey presents to the group. Self-paced Activity: Group reflects on supply chain presentation and which activities the cooperative fills currently.
Module 4: Return on Investment Analysis for Microfinance Loans
Coordinator presents how to do a return on investment analysis as it relates to making small business loans. Self-paced Activity: Group reviews return on investment framework and relevant financial terms.
Module 5: Introductory Meeting with Cooperative Leaders
Introductory meeting between leaders of the cooperative and group to build relationship and have cultural exchange. Self-paced Activity: Group reviews notes from client meeting and divides into teams to begin looking at investments to push client up them up the supply chain.
Module 6: Mentor Session with Professional Consultant
Mentor and GB coordinator help prepare the group to ask the most strategic questions during the consultation day. Self-paced Activity: Group prepares and assigns questions to ask clients based on mentor guidance.
Module 7: Client Consultation Day
Live virtual session with cooperative leaders to understand opportunities they see and collecting data on return on investment analysis. Self-paced Activity: Group begins work to supply chain consultation and create return on investment projections.
Modules 8, 9 and 10: Creating Supply Chain Recommendation
Three working sessions with coordinators to answer questions and help students create return on investment projections and recommendations. Self-paced Activity: Continuing working in teams to finalize recommendations.
Module 11: Project Submission and Final Mentor Feedback
Group submits final recommendation and return on investment calculations for final feedback from mentors. Self-paced Activity: Group refines recommendations and analysis based on mentor feedback.
Module 12: Presentation to Clients
Group presents recommendations to the client and receives their feedback. Self-paced Activity: Group prepares applications for microfinance loans.
Module 13: Recommendations to Microfinance Manager
Group shares their analysis and recommendation to Global Brigades Honduras’ microfinance program manager to help facilitate a possible loan for the cooperative to implement the solution. Self-paced Activity: Group decides to make a donation to capitalize any loans needed for a specific client, or helps create a Kiva profile for them. Students complete evaluation survey and prepare final reflections. Procure cooking materials and watch the instructional cooking video.
Module 14: Cultural Activity and Project Celebration
GB coordinator debriefs the group on clients’ feedback and reflects on personal and professional development. The team celebrates and shows off how their local dish turned out. Self-paced Activity: Group reviews monitoring and evaluation reports
Impact Reporting
Students will be included in Global Brigades’ regular newsletters and receive project updates and overall monitoring and evaluation of our programs.
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