Driving Entrepreneurship and Innovation

WATCH THE RECORDING HERE

Through the IVLP Impact Awards initiative, recent alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program administer community impact projects that bring the experiences of their exchange program home to their communities and promote innovative solutions to shared global challenges. 

On Wednesday November 6, 2024, Meridian International Center hosted a virtual panel of IVLP Impact Awardees who discussed cutting-edge strategies, success stories, and practical insights for fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems and driving innovation through their IVLP Impact Award projects. The panel was moderated by Andrey Nikolov (Bulgaria) and featured panelists Mabel Becerra (Bolivia) Almamy Diagana (Mauritania) and Nisreen Eid (Jordan).

Some key takeaways from the discussion were:

1. Understanding Challenges and Implementing Solutions

The session began with a brief introduction to each panelist. Andrey explained how he has leveraged his IVLP and broader professional and personal experience with migration to create an entrepreneurship training program for displaced Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Bulgaria. He " introduced them to the Bulgarian entrepreneurs, especially people who have, for example, Ukrainian background[as], but live here for years and share the experience, and show how you can be successful in Bulgaria." Mabel's project in Bolivia is focused on addressing the opportunity gap among women and youth in the rural community of Santiago de Chiquitos by offering training workshops because the women and youth there "have very little access to education about entrepreneurship and innovation." Almamy, a young business owner himself, was inspired to give back to the entrepreneurial community in Mauritania, which supported him when he started. He spoke about his inspiration: "I said, 'Okay. I have the duty to...[give] back what I received [from] my mentor. So, it's why I design in the project to help one entrepreneur at a time." In Jordan, Nisreen's project educates women who own home-based businesses, providing them with the skills to confidently take on the unique challenges of these ventures, such as meeting customer demand with limited infrastructure.

The panelists highlighted the significant barriers to entrepreneurship that their projects aim to overcome, sharing the roadblocks they faced during implementation. Mabel's story was particularly striking: wildfires ravaged the region where she planned to launch her project, devastating ten million hectares of forest. Even in the face of this devastation, Mabel said, "I tend to be very positive as a person, and I didn't want this to hinder the project and, so I decided to make it happen virtually for the first two workshops." Fortunately, the fires have since subsided in the area, and Mabel has been able to hold an in-person workshop as initially planned.

Though less dramatic, the other panelists also discussed the challenges faced during the implementation of their projects. Almamy noted that "one of the biggest challenges the young entrepreneurs face is access to funds." He emphasized the importance of developing soft skills among the young participants of his project to prepare them for the market's demands and to grow their businesses. To address this, he matched the participants with specific mentors "who can help them in financial tasks and is the one who can help them in how to how to emphasizes the project." This tailored approach has effectively met the individual needs of the entrepreneurs.

Similarly, Nisreen highlighted her participants' need to develop skills such as calculating an appropriate price point. She commented that "most of the women tend to price their products based on the market price, and they tend to lower their prices a little bit so that they can be competitive. Doing this they will end up either sacrifice on quality or they will shut their businesses [down] because they will lose [money]." Nisreen also explained that "[The participants] didn't know each other before the program. If one of them had a very a big...request from a customer, she had to refuse it because she doesn't have the capacity. Now, having them all connected in the same group, they would ask for help from each other, they would ask for raw material from each other."

2. IVLP: Fostering Inspiration and Building Networks

Andrey participated in the IVLP Project Regional Responses to Refugee and Migration Issues, organized by the American Councils for International Education in partnership with the San Diego Diplomacy Council, World Trade Center Institute, WorldOrlando, and GlobalPittsburgh, and mentioned especially enjoying his visit to San Diego.

Almamy participated in the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development project, organized by World Learning, in partnership with Global Santa Fe, Global Ties ABQ, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, and World Boston. He spoke about his visit to New Mexico being the most inspiring for him, and how he specifically remembered meeting an 88-year-old man, "he's still a volunteer, and he's still a mentor...I said, 'Wow, it's just a great thing, I'm young, so I can help my brothers who want to start the business in this field.'...that was the point of start of the WeMentor project." Almamy also mentioned that "Santa Fe was one of the central points. It was just like a dream I live[d] there, so thank you."

Mabel participated in the IVLP Project Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, organized by Meridian International Center, in partnership with Colorado Springs World Affairs Council, Global Ties Miami, International Institute of Buffalo, and World Denver. Mabel reflected, "In Colorado Springs, it really fascinated me, the entire ecosystem they developed to support small and medium sized enterprises...this was something that personally really inspired me and helped me a lot in developing and amplifying my vision, not just professionally but also personally. I loved Colorado Springs." In addition to Colorado Springs, Mabel mentioned the Center for Black Innovation in Miami, which she noted, "solve problems in a very specific way...they identify the issues that they need to tackle, and they develop solutions with empathy."

Nisreen's IVLP Project Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development was organized by FHI 360 in partnership with GlobalPittsburgh, WorldDenver, and the Office of International Visitors' program branch in New York City. When asked what her favorite city stop was, Nisreen responded, "I think I like Pittsburgh the most [in] Pennsylvania because of the way they changed their culture: the way they changed their destiny from a state that is dependent on heavy industry to a state that is very well known in innovation. I like this idea. I like the idea of them cleaning their climate and the environment around it. It fascinated me." Nisreen talked about how her IVLP exchange served her beyond inspiring her IVLP Impact Award project, as she could tap into a broad network of support after returning home: "alumni were a big help... I had one of the alumni who helped me find the place to conduct the training. Some alumni helped me in the training itself. The person in digital marketing was one of the alumni, so they helped me all the way."

3. Reflecting on the Impacts

In response to an audience question about the outcomes of their IVLP Impact Awards, personally, professionally, and on their communities, Mabel reflected, "I think the main impact has been to bet on myself. To dream big and understand that you can offer opportunities that can impact the quality of many other people's lives." Nisreen and Andrey echoed these sentiments, noting their heightened awareness of their international IVLP networks. Nisreen said, "Now I know that...I have partners everywhere, my alumni, the State Department, and also the Government of Jordan. They just noticed what I did, and they're now focusing on helping me more. So, thanks to the to the [IVLP Impact] Award! I didn't know that I could make it before." Almamy closed by saying, "It was just amazing. Because through this project I can impact the lives of all these young entrepreneurs. I can give them a... way of their success. So, it's just amazing, and gives me some hope for the future."

"Sometimes fear can paralyze you. But you can do it! You can forge opportunities for others, and this should be the main motivator that pushes you forward." - Mabel Becerra

If you have any questions, please reach out to the IVLP Impact Awards Team at IVLPImpactAwards@meridian.org.

If interested in attending more IVLP Impact Award events, click here.