Four years after the earthquake in Haiti, Yunus Social Business (YSB) is helping to rebuild the country. SAP is one of the founders of this support programme. Convinced by the concept of sustainable development, SAP pledged support in the form of financial resources, expert staff and technical know-how to build an infrastructure for the rapidly growing number of social enterprises in the country.
The YSB-funded Start-ups are already generating enough revenue with three business models to cover the long-term operating expenses of forty schools.
Poultry farming: Chicken meat is an important part of the menu in Haiti. Since poultry farming has relatively little impact on the environment and does not require large areas of land, it is an ideal business model for the small island nation. YSB invests in farms that are run as independent social enterprises. Some of the eggs are sold while the rest are hatched. The raised chickens are sold as meat suppliers. The farm's income generates enough profit to pay employees. The remaining surplus goes to local schools to fund teachers' salaries, books and equipment.
Bakeries: YSB has invested in a number of local bakeries that bake fresh bread fortified with essential minerals and vitamins. The income from each bakery benefits local schools and local job creation. In addition to a regular income, the bakery workers also receive valuable practical training as they learn their new craft.
Water treatment agents: In Haiti, drinking water is often contaminated due to frequent flooding. Chlorine bleach is an important - but expensive - means of disinfecting water and preventing deadly diseases such as cholera. YSB offers Haiti's low-income population an alternative to buying bleach and soap in expensive supermarkets. By eliminating expensive packaging, YSB is able to distribute these household products at sales kiosks in small, affordable quantities at prices that are a quarter of the average shop price. Like YSB's other business models, this model generates funds for local schools and provides much-needed income to local communities.
The start-up social enterprises supported by SAP and YSB are having a hugely positive impact across Haiti. They have created 300 jobs. 1,000 children can now attend school and receive a reliable and high-quality education. Thanks to the steady Funding the teachers no longer have to fear dismissal. At the same time, the Entrepreneurship Institute, to which the first ever YSB investment went, has trained 1,320 young people to become entrepreneurs since it opened. Equipped with the right tools, students at the institute start ten new businesses a year.
Partnership for change
During the three-year start-up phase in Haiti, SAP was actively involved in developing the basic strategic direction of the initiative and contributed the necessary operational and financial support. In return, YSB has contributed social business advice, geographical and cultural local knowledge, and donor recruitment.
SAP also donated the following to the organisation SAP Business One. With this solution, YSB can centrally manage all the finances, customer relations, farming and retail operations of all seven social enterprises through one system. With the SAP Business One Mobile app for example, the owners of the farms and bakeries in the countryside have secure mobile access to the SAP Business One solution. Instead of making the long trip to the central office in Port-au-Prince, for example, the social entrepreneurs can send their business reports to the head office without any detours.
© 2014 | Versino Projects GmbH
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