the who
Who we serve
The CE Solutions team is focused on working side-by-side with passionate, local leaders and social entrepreneurs, as well as grassroots organizations to provide business, education, and health services and solutions for community members/organizations in the developing world. We currently have teams working every day in Guatemala, Ecuador, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic, Haiti and Southern Mexico. We take a holistic approach to understanding needs and priorities and then address these through social innovations that empower community members to solve community problems over both the short and long-term. It is our belief that change takes a team and the best people to lead the team as soon as possible are those that are closest and most affected. Following you will find a summary list of the incredible people and organizations that who we aspire to support intelligently and thoughtfully in this effort.
Meet the amazing local team of people who make this tick
CE Solutions is all about finding ways to help local emerging leaders and entrepreneurs become empowered agents of change in their communities, regions and countries. Over the years we have been fortunate to team up with some truly amazing people. These are now leaders of the social enterprises we have co-created. These are technology entrepreneurs. These are educators, agronomists and administrators. Get to know some of these amazing people below. They are what makes this all possible now and will be the true “changemakers” for years and years to come. We help to empower them. They empower a better life for their communities and inspire us to always work to be better.
ANTONIO VIXAMA
Solisyon Kominote Yo (Solkomyo)
HAITI
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51 years old
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Lives in the center of Ouanaminthe
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His family consists of himself, his wife and their four children
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He has worked with Solisyon Kominote Yo for 4 ½ years, from 2012 up until this day
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He works with Solisyon Kominote Yo because it aligns with what working with people means to him, because the strategy profits all the population in Haiti, because it does not provide the community with fish but teaches them how to fish, therefore autonomy, because it changes obstacles into opportunities and because he really enjoys it
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He works in the office in Ouanaminthe and several communities in the northeast of Haiti
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Personal and professional development goals for next year:
Learn a new language such as English, get his diploma on Environmental Governance and improve his economic situation to be able to reach these goals -
Favorite Core Value: Accountable
“I choose accountable because I, as a person, have to have an appropriate personal conduct and as an social actor I have to assume my responsibility as part of any organization I work with”
FELIX BERTRAND
Solisyon Kominote Yo (Solkomyo)
HAITI
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31 years old
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Lives in Ouanaminthe but he is from Savane au Lait and he shares his household with other three people
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All of his family members live in Savane au Lait
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He has worked with Solisyon Kominote Yo for 4 ½ years, from 2012 up until this day
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He works with Solisyon Kominote Yo so that he can continue to contribute to the development of communities in his country
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He works in the office in Ouanaminthe and several communities in the northeast of Haiti
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Personal and professional development goal:
Completing his studies on Business Administration, learn Spanish and English, and to search and find professional and intellectual trainings that will enable him to support SolKomYo -
Favorite Core Value: Dignified
“I choose dignified because interacting with respect of each other, is the way we can make things we saw as impossible, possible.”
ELIZABETH ATTILUS
Solisyon Kominote Yo (Solkomyo)
HAITI
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58 years old
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Lives in Ouanaminthe near Kanari River and she lives with her sons and nephew
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She has worked with Solisyon Kominote Yo for 4 ½ years, from 2012 up until this day
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She works with Solisyon Kominote Yo because she dreams that the goals of SolKomYo can and will be realized
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She works in the office in Ouanaminthe and several communities in the northeast of Haiti
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Personal and professional development goals:
To support her son in getting his University degree, being an example for her children, learning how to use a computer and learning Spanish. Also, she would like to finish her house and being independent. -
Favorite Core Value: Empathetic
“Empathy is a value that comes to me naturally. When I see a lot of suffering, I suffer as well banditry to help with the help of God to stop that suffering.”
EVENS BAPTIST
Solisyon Kominote Yo (Solkomyo)
HAITI
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31 years old
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Lives in Ouanaminthe on Liberty Street and he lives with his wife and their child
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He has worked with Solisyon Kominote Yo for 7 months
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He works with Solisyon Kominote Yo so that he can use his knowledge to serve the communities, because he loves working on the ground and he was always his dream to work with an organization like this. Also, this opportunity helps him financially
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He works in Ouanaminthe with smallholder farmers in the region
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Personal and professional development goals:
Continue his studies and get a specialization in agroforestal education. He would also like to learn English and have the economic means to achieve them. -
Favorite Core Value: Dignified
“I choose dignified because first I respect myself, second I take my job seriously because I have respect for the people I work with people, and I hope they respect me too.”
JOSE BERNARDO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
- 27 years old
- He is one of six brothers and sisters. He lives with his mother in El Seibo.
- He has been working with SolCom for 2 years and 6 months
- His main interest is in contributing, helping, educating, empowering and raising consciousness amongst community members about the reality of their situation and to provide solutions to their most pressing needs. He especially enjoys focusing on marginalized communities, no matter remote, because SolCom will reach them. He figures out their local needs and works to serve the members of those communities, always following up with them.
- He works in over 30 communities in the eastern region of the Dominican Republic, centered around the provinces of La Romana, San Pedro, Miches Sabana de la Mar and El Seibo
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to start a small business and build a new house for his mom, to get married, to Pay down his bank loans, to save up to buy a house, and to complete his university studies
- Favorite Core Value: Client focus – “this is the core value I like the most because we follow up with clients after learning about their individual needs, and so we’re able to contribute to a change in both the life of that person but also to his community. It’s also the value that pushes us to measure the impact of our work, both for the clients and for the members of the SolCom team.”
DARBINSON NOVAS
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
- 30 years old
- He lives with his mother and his 3 year-old nephew outside of Barahona
- He has been working with SolCom 1 year and 9 months
- He is passionate about the social aspect of the work and how it has helped him to grow as a person. He feels that now he can see, feel and live the necessities of the members of these communities. Professionally he is learning about new and innovative solutions that respond to local needs.
- He works in the southern region, in the province of Barahona.
- Personal and professional development goal: he hopes to finish building his house. He also hopes to complete his math major and complete an English language course
- Favorite Core Value: Client Focus – “For me, each one of our core values is extremely important, but from my perspective there’s one that encircles the rest, since being focused on client outcomes es what motivates us to be champions for the other core values.”
MIGUEL BRITO RAMIREZ
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 36 years old
- He lives with his wife and three children in Nebaj
- He has been working with SolCom for 13 years
- He works with SolCom because the impact generated by the services and products provided motive him to keep going and helping others.
- He works mainly from Nebaj, but travels to the different regions when needed
- Personal goal: complete my business degree
- Favorite Core Value: Accountable – “Being responsible is a way to feel happy about what you do, it creates a peaceful consciousness, being responsible for your actions whether you succeed or you fail.”
CLARA LUZ DE MONTEZUMA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 56 years old
- She lives in her own house along with 5 other family members.
- She has worked with SolCom since 2005, as one of the first Community Advisors.
- She works with SolCom because she loves what we do - social work for the people. She loves being able to bring the appropriate solutions to problems that we identify in the communities.
- She works in the Sacatepéquez Department
- Personal Development Goal: to study and learn English
- Professional Development Goal: to work more closely to take advantage of the tools that technology provide, feel more comfortable with technology, especially our System
- Favorite Core Value: Responsible and Empathetic: “I have always said that for everything I do, I’ll do it responsibly. Empathy has also helped me with my work, it gives me the opportunity to relate to the people I work with”
ALMA SANTOS
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 28 years old
- She is a single mum with one daughter, Isabela(5) and one son Carlos (8)
- Alma has been working with SolCom for eight years, for one as a Community Advisor and the other seven as a Regional Coordinator
- She works with SolCom because she believes that there is no much that she can do alone to change Guatemala’s social and economic situation, but with SolCom she has the opportunity to contribute
- She works in the Xela Department
- Personal goal: graduate from University
- Professional goal: to grow professionally within the organization by acquiring new responsibilities, to which she can apply her current knowledge and move forward
- Favorite Core Value: Intentional and Catalytic - “When we do something, it’s because we’ve decided to do it, we’ve decided that it’s what’s best for the people; we’re aware that our actions directly affect other people. Also, in reality our impact is not instantaneous. As an organization, we’re doing something few other people do, which is create in the long term.”
RICARDO TOMÁS GUZMÁN CEDILLO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 32 years old
- His family is composed of 7 members, including my mom. Everyone is married, his oldest brother has one son, the second eldest has two daughters, his younger brother has 3 children, the next younger brother has one child, and his youngest sister has one daughter.
- He has been working with SolCom since February 2006
- He works with SolCom because this work attracts him because of the support we provide in communities, the services we offer to create impact in the lives of families, and also of course so that he can have income to support himself and his personal goals
- He works in the Nebaj area of Quiché Department
- Personal development: Keep studying in the University
- Professional development: Receive trainings in marketing and attend entrepreneurial conferences (for inspiration)
- Favorite Core Value: Empathy – “Through empathy we can understand the needs of the people and we can support them better. It's also a way for us to build relationships. Empathy is a tool to build trust between SolCom and community members”
JOSÉ XOCH
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 23 years old
- He lives with his mom, his older brother (27) and his older sister (25) in El Triunfo
- He has worked for 7 years as a Community Advisor, entering the role of Regional Coordinator last year
- He works with SolCom because serving the people of Guatemala it’s important and it is very motivating to see people happy after we have helped find the appropriate solutions for them
- He works in the Sololá Department
- Professional development goal: create the network and understand the job of a radio announcer- he would like to be the voice on the radio making announcements (this way he can tell a lot of people about SolCom and the work we do)
- Favorite Core Value: Trustful: "I always prefer to be very clear, to never lie or trick the people I work with (on the team and community members). I work in a very transparent way in order to maintain trustful relationships. "
TEODOLINDA HERRERA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 52 years old
- She lives with her husband and 3 children
- She has worked with SolCom for 7 years
- She works with SolCom because she enjoys having the ability to serve people who have a need for our products and services, to provide the change in their way of life, and to change obstacles into opportunities.
- She works in the Huehuetenango Department
- Personal and professional goal: To study and learn computer science
- Favorite Core Value: Catalyzing: “Because we look for the way to create and put into practice processes and solutions with a multiplying effect”
JUANA XOCH
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 34 years old
- She lives with her husband in a community called El Triunfo, with their two children.
- She has worked with SolCom for almost 12 years. For the first two, she was a Community Advisor. The other ten have been as the Regional Coordinator of Sololá.
- She works with SolCom she likes to work with people who don’t have access to eye health care, or who don’t have clean water to drink. Also, the organization gives her the opportunity to learn more about the needs of the communities. With this work she also has an income that supports her family and she likes being able to provide people with the opportunity to work again by providing our services, for example women who can continue weaving thanks to a pair of glasses
- She works in the Sololá Department
- Personal and professional goal: Support the growth of the women’s group that produces artisanal products in her community by expanding the line of products they offer and ensuring quality, so that the women can keep sending their kids to school
- Favorite Core Value: Responsible – “it's so important to work hard and follow a schedule, taking care of the products and being very aware of what needs to be accomplished.”
MARTA LIDIA GARCIA SITAN
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 40 years old
- She lives with her parents, 80 and 81 years old, her sister and her dogs and
- She has been working with SolCom for nearly 10 years
- She works with SolCom it’s a good way to support the people and participate in the development of Guatemala.
- She works in La Antigua Guatemala
- Personal and Professional goal: improve my spoken and written English skills, increase my understanding of technology and tools that help with the organization and administration, improve my health condition, learn to love and value myself, become closer to God, enjoy life more, make my family happy, work harder to improve my economic condition, repair my family house
- Favorite Core Value: Innovative and Inclusive - "we’re always looking to improve the lives of our people, which means changing what we normally do, being innovative. We also see all people as the same in that we treat them respectfully and with dignity. It doesn’t matter that some people aren’t educated or that they have different lives, we include them in opportunities and want them to participate"
WILSON MARTINEZ
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 31 years old
- Wilson has been working with SolCom for 9 years
- He works with SolCom because he really likes the idea of a social business providing for the needs of the people of Guatemala
- He works in the Sacatepéquez Department
- Personal goal: to learn and improve his English and to be able to save to purchase a plot of land and a motorcycle to be able to move around independently
- Favorite Core Value: Practical - this work doesn’t require very much formal education, which allows for people who are willing to learn the necessary professional skills capable of helping others.
LESVIA MARIA CETO DE LEON
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 26 years old
- She lives in Nebaj with her fiancé and his two year old daughter
- Lesvia has been working with SolCom for almost 3 years
- She works with SolCom because helping people by offering them solutions to their problems motivates her. Our services and products are focused on what community members need, and not what we think they should need and she values this very much.
- She works in the Nebaj area of Quiché Department
- Personal and professional goals: to be more responsible, finish her studies to be a bilingual teacher, grow her family’s chicken business
- Favorite Core Value: Practical – “This job is straightforward- if we put our energy and effort into it we can be successful.”
VIRGILIO VELASCO RAYMUNDO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 31 years old
- Virgilio lives in Nebaj with his wife, his two children, his mum and his old uncle
- He has worked been with el Centro Explorativo for five years.
- He works at El Centro because he the vision and mission of the Center, where he is able to provide poor families with an opportunity that he has never had. And also because he loves to work with kids.
- He works in La Pista, a small community near Nebaj
- Professional and personal goals: to continue studying Education at the University to improve the educational activities and workshop to provide at El Centro
ROSA RAYMUNDO BRITO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 22 years old
- She lives with her parents and her three sisters in Nebaj
- Rosa has been working in El Centro for almost two years.
- She likes to work at El Centro because she likes the activities and the strategies, very we focused on childhood. She loves to teach and share with the children so that they can have a better education and better opportunities in the future
- She works in La Pista, Nebaj
- Personal and professional development goals: she wants to receive good grades in all of her University courses without falling behind in any of them. She would also like to participate in trainings, following her dream of graduating as a professor to continue working in education with older children,
MARIA TERRAZA COBO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
GUATEMALA
- 32 years old
- Maria lives in La Pista with her parents and siblings My parents Pedro Bernal Santiago and Teresa Cobo Cobo, farmer and housewife respectively, have provided me since my childhood an education strengthened by strong principles and values, teaching me to be better everyday as a person and as a professional. I work to improve my future for them, for their effort to push me forward, and for the support my siblings have provided me
- Maria has worked for the Centro for 4 years and 6 months.
- She works in El Centro because she loves the methodology that they use there and she loves to have the opportunity to be a teacher and acquire new experiences each day while teaching new activities to the children
- She works in La Pista, Nebaj
- Personal and professional development goals: participate in trainings and workshops, continue studying at the University, acquire more understanding of topics that improve the quality of her personal development, use my current understanding, attitude and aptitude to benefit the community, improving and strengthening the way we healthily live together on a daily basis
HERENIA ZELAYA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
NICARAGUA
- 26 years old
- She lives in Diriamba with three sisters, two brothers, and her mom
- She has been working with SolCom since 2012
- Herenia believes you don’t need to be a person with influential status or strong economic standing to make an impact. - With Soluciones Comunitarias, her work motivates and fulfills her as a person and she can empower individuals and groups with enthusiasm. In her experience, seeing people smile and hearing words of appreciation means we are valued and have made a positive impact.
- She works in the region of Carazo, Nicaragua
- Personal and professional goals: Graduate with her degree in pharmaceuticals in 2017. Continue to enroll in English classes. Establish a community pharmacy. Develop a preventive health system with the support of health professionals. Study medicine in four years. Continue to gain experience and knowledge about new opportunities for community empowerment. Make a positive impact with her community outreach and support.
- Favorite core value: Collaboration – “In working with people and empowering them to address their own needs we need to share, talk, and listen to understand what issues people are facing. The more we know about their life, the more we be be of support and make a positive impact.”
ALEXANDER MORALES
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
NICARAGUA
- 28 years old
- Lives with his mother and older brother in the city of León
- He has been working with SolCom seasonally as a Field Leader for Social Entrepreneur Corps for 3 years; and joined the team as a permanent staff member in July 2016
- He works with SolCom because he likes the model we implement as a great tool for helping people
- He works in the region of León
- Personal and professional development goals for the next year: To get the family’s house repaired and to become a good workshop facilitator
- Favorite core value: Accountable – “In being responsible, we meet our personal goals but also the obligations and commitments we make to others, including our clients and partners. It also directly ties in with other important values such as punctuality and honesty.”
JUANA FRANCISCA TERCERO
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
NICARAGUA
- 31 years old
- Lives with her husband and school-age son and daughter in a small community near Telica
- She has been working with SolCom for 3.5 years
- She works for Soluciones Comunitarias because she can help communities solve their problems.
- Personal and professional development goals for the next year: She wants to take classes so she can provide more developed vision services; start learning English
- Favorite core value: Collaborative – “I appreciate and see the necessity of collaborating with others in order to be able to create access to solutions.”
MARIANA JAPON
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 48 years old
- Mariana is married and has 7 children, two of which live with her and her husband.
- She has been working with Solcom since December 2014
- She works with SolCom because it allows her to have a flexible schedule and balance work and family life.
- She works in the southern region, in the Loja province
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to improve her customer service skills so that our clients feel more comfortable with our service.
- Favorite Core Value: Catalyzing – “I chose it because when I sell glasses hopefully those glasses not only help with the patient's visual health, but will also give them a chance to get ahead in life.”
MARIA ESPERANZA CHAVEZ JAPÓN
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 33 years old
- Esperanza lives with her husband and 4 children.
- She has been working with SolCom since December 2015
- Esperanza enjoys working with Solcom because it allows her to continue learning and she is able to help other people.
- She works in the southern region, in the Loja province
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to earn enough money to help pay for her children’s educations and also learn more about the work SolCom does internationally.
- Favorite Core Value: Accountable – “Because the work we do is always in a team and together we need to be responsible for both the successes and failures.”
EULIRIA JUMBO CORDOVA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 49 years old
- Euliria lives with her husband, 4 children and 4 grandchildren.
- She has been working SolCom since March 2011
- She works with SolCom because she enjoys and also it gives her the opportunity to support her family,
- She works in the southern region, in the Zamora Chinchipe province.
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: Motivate and inspire her children to study hard in school, learn new skills to be better professional, pay back her debts and save money to restore her house roof
- Favorite Core Value: Client-focused – “ Because it is always important to understand and value each of our clients to provide them with better services.”
SOFIA RAMIREZ
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 55 years old
- Sofia is a single mum and lives with her daughter
- She has been working with Solcom since September 2014
- She works with Solcom because she likes learning new things, meeting new people, and helping others.
- She works in the Azuay province
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: make enough money to support herself and be seen as an important community leader.
- Favorite Core Value: Client Focus – “Because the people are the reason we do this work.”
DIEGO ARMANDO REA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 27 years old
- Diego lives with his wife and their three children.
- He has been working with Solcom since January 2016.
- He joined Solcom because he would like to do socially-minded work for the communities in his region.
- He works in the northern region, in the Guaranda province.
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to continue providing for my family, particularly to be able to send my kids to school.
- Favorite Core Value: Client Focus – “Because we listen to the needs of the people in the community and understanding them is important.”
DOLORES YUQUILEMA
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 58 years old
- She lives with her husband and one daughter.
- She has been working with us since January 2013.
- She loves the support that Solcom gives her. She also likes providing vision services and glasses, which really make an impact in the communities around her.
- Dolores works in the northern region, in the Chimborazo province.
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to be a more respected leader in the community.
- Favorite Core Value: Accountable - “Because we are committed to being a respected and trustworthy organization in the country.”
YOLANDA FRAY
Soluciones Comunitarias (Solcom)
ECUADOR
- 59 years old
- Yolanda lives with her husband and her two children.
- She has been working with SolCom since January 2013.
- She works with Solcom because she enjoys helping people in need, particularly the elderly. She also loves the experience of meeting people from other cultures when the students are in country, and traveling to other communities in the province.
- She works in the northern region, in the Chimborazo province.
- Personal and professional development goals for next year: to make a higher income and have more campaigns, because economic times are difficult.
- Favorite Core Value: Client Focus – “Because the people in the communities are the most important people we work with.”
Meet local organizations doing great work that we support
CE Solutions co creates social enterprises and social impact organizations. Together with local leadership we have built social enterprises focused on “last mile” technology access, tourism businesses, an education center, a Spanish language online venture, a home stay enterprise, and self-financed community banks, among others. These are the engines of change and create scale and sustainability where we work. However, we also consult for and provide services to other great local organizations that range from artisan cooperatives, to micro finance promoters, to agricultural groups, to schools, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on and on. We do this in large part with the incredible support of volunteers/interns we engage through Social Entrepreneur Corps. See below a representation of the kinds of organizations we support.
Fundacion Kawsay
Tour Operator
Ecuador
Lácteos El Wagrero
Artisanal Cheese Making
Ecuador
Red de Jovenes de Panguintza
Youth Empowerment
Ecuador
Fundación Hogar
Housing and well-being
Ecuador
Fundación Utopia
Economic solidarity/food security
Ecuador
LetaGoGo
Dairy Production
Haiti
College Catts Pressoir
Youth Education
Haiti
UJANE
Youth Empowerment and Agriculture
Haiti
Med and Food for Kids
Nutrition and Agriculture
Haiti
Lema
Weaving Cooperative
Guatemala
Grupo de Artesanos Del Seibo
Artisans
Dominican Republic
Good Neighbors Internationals
Children
Dominican Republic