El  Descanso - The $550,000 development engine

It all starts with a vision. Teamwork and dedication make it happen.

Our leadership’s first innovation goal in 2002 was this; to establish a locally-owned group of unique tourism businesses in a rural area where there were none in order to create good paying jobs in a respectful environment and provide a continuous engine of growth and development for the community for years to come.  In short, we did it. To date the Nebaj “El Descanso” tourism social enterprise has been running profitably for nearly seven years, is entirely owned and run by Maya Ixiles and has generated revenues of over $550,000 to date. In the tough economic times of 2007 and 2008 alone these businesses earned nearly $150,000.  And imagine how this has multiplied itself in the community.  These businesses without question have been and continue to be the biggest generator of new capital (tourism income) for the entire region. No other development project has come close. And as for impact, the revenues generated from this one initiative are more than double our ENTIRE funding and budget since we began our work in Guatemala. And given that the average Maya Ixil earns roughly $3 a day, this is equivalent to over 183,000 days of revenue. And the individuals who began as waiters in this social enterprise are now leaders in other CE Solutions initiatives. Isn’t that what development is all about? Success has been achieved for our first initiative but our mission is not yet completed. We continue to create concrete benefits for tens of thousands of Guatemalans every year. We are asking for your support.

“The new Centro Explorativo that we opened in my town of La Pista in January of 2008 has already had an incredible impact. There is no other place nearby to get access to computers, internet and books. We have already taught over 250 teachers and children the basics of using a computer. Almost all of these children had never even used a keyboard or computer before taking our 16 hour course. Hopefully we can continue to have this kind of impact and the people who use the Centro Explorativo will be able to build a better future for themselves and their families. I could not be prouder of how we are able to help the people in need in my community. Thank you to CE Solutions on behalf of the families of La Pista.”

Miguel Brito Ramirez
President of the Centro Explorativo Association

Community Enterprise Solutions proudly works hand in hand with it's sister organization, Social Entrepreneur Corps to provide impactful and insightful trips, internships and volunteer opportunities designed to support our network of Rural Entrepreneurs and their local constituents on a local level...

"From house wives to textile factory workers, CE Solutions empowers the seemingly powerless to take leadership and elevate the Guatemalan people out of poverty and sickness."

Alice W., 2007 Participant, SE Corps, The University of Texas at Austin

Featured News:
March 2008 - Greg Van Kirk shares ideas with Muhammad Yunus and is selected as an Ashoka Fellow

I would like to take a moment to profoundly thank all of our supporters and my colleagues for what continues to be a tremendous journey. And this year has brought some truly incredible experiences for me on a personal level . In particular, thanks to the invitation of Nancy Swanson and Dorothy Largey, earlier this year I was invited to a dinner in Santa Barbara with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, the innovator of microcredit, to exchange ideas and experiences with regards to the formation of social enterprises. Apart from the obvious honor, meeting Muhamamd Yunus had a special significance for me. It was a little over eight years ago that, upon reading about Microcredit and its power to help people help themselves, I made the decision to join the Peace Corps and enter this field. As such, it was certainly a profound (and needless to say a bit surreal) experience for me to share with him the impact that his work has had on my life and our work in Guatemala.

In addition, earlier this year I was honored to be selected as an Ashoka Fellow for our work innovating the MicroConsignment Model. This is incredible validation for our efforts. As well, now that I have attended two Ashoka conferences as a fellow and had the opportunities to meet other fellows, I am supremely confident that the sky is the limit for our work and that we have built a model that can potentially positively impact millions of lives. For those who are not familiar with Ashoka, below is an excerpt from their website.

"Ashoka is leading a profound transformation in society. Ashoka strives to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world's citizens to think and act as changemakers. Rather than leaving societal needs for the government or business sectors to address, social entrepreneurs are creating innovative solutions, delivering extraordinary results, and improving the lives of millions of people. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognize to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Ashoka Fellows work in over 60 countries around the globe in every area of human need. All Ashoka Fellows must undergo a rigorous search and selection process in which they demonstrate that they fully meet Ashoka's selection criteria."

So, thank you again to all who have helped to make our work possible. And thank you in particular for enabling me to experience some of these particular honors. That being said, let there never be any doubt that the work is the reward and that "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

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Featured Results (2008 results to date)
Rural Entrepreneurship:

Rural Education:

Support Our Work

Donate:
CE Solutions relies on the generosity of others to continue our work. Our current monthly operating costs (excluding investments in new product/resources for entrepreneurs/educators)  are approximately $5,000. If you are interested we would be more than happy to provide you with all current budget breakdowns and projected expenditures.
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Volunteer:
CE Solutions supports volunteer and internship opportunities for qualified individuals interested in supporting our network of social entrepreneurs on the ground in developing countries through Social Entrepreneur Corps. Project availabilty, location, length of committment and cost all vary based on the desired outcomes of the participant and current needs on the ground.
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Buy/Sell New Life Cards:
Looking for an interesting Fundraising opportunity for your own orgainzation...or excited about the opportunity to assist CE Solutions raise needed funds while helping rural entrepreneurs bring their unique, handmade products to the international market?
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