Assured Labor Colombia Expansion

Allen Kramer

2013.5 Economics allen.p.kramer@gmail.com

(646) 335-2251 There are many factors that lead to unemployment, including macroeconomic trends, structural adjustment periods, and frictional search time. In developing countries such as Colombia, which is marked by poverty combined with stark economic inequality, one critical cause of high unemployment levels among low-income populations is the lack of access to fully functioning information networks and formal job-search channels such as the Internet. In Colombia, only about 22% of low-income households have access to the Web, as compared with over 67% of higher class groups. However, nearly everyone in Colombia has his or her own cell phone. This creates an opportunity to leverage that access and turn it into a system specifically designed for this middle and low-income group. Assured Labor does just that. The company is a for-profit social enterprise that seeks to reduce the burden of unemployment in emerging markets by connecting low- and middle-wage workers with jobs using mobile and Internet technologies. The enterprise was founded by CEO David Reich and a small group of peers in 2008 out of MIT Sloan School of Management. Under their brand, Empleo Listo, they piloted operations in Nicaragua in 2009, expanded to Mexico in 2010, and to Brazil in 2011. To date they have registered over 200,000 users throughout the three countries and have posted jobs by more than 3,000 employers. The business generates revenue by charging employers for hosting the job postings and facilitating the intermediation with the workers. A critical aspect of the business model is that the workers who receive the job offers do not pay for the service; this reduces one of the major barriers to alternative formal mechanisms of employment. The impact that Assured Labor creates is largely generated in two principal target groups: the employers who gain access to more qualified candidates faster, and the workers who are provided with more and better job opportunities. Overall, the principal indicators and variables in which there is an expected impact include: users registered and employers posting jobs; jobs facilitated; reduced costs and time for businesses in employee acquisition; decreased average time spent in search between jobs; better quality employment positions. Not all of these variables are currently assessed due to prohibitive costs associated with measurement. In order to facilitate the expansion of Assured Labor into the Colombian market, this Starr Fellowship project concentrates on executing key elements in the companys standard pre-launce process for a new country. Activities leading up to and during the fieldwork in Colombia during the summer of 2012 largely fall into five categories: market research; operational research; business & bottom of the pyramid (BOP) strategy; customer development; and business development.

BMD Peer Mentoring

2013 Biophysics lily_chan@brown.edu (516) 225-8132

Lily Chan
BeckerMD.org is an online patient community where individuals can discuss their experiences with Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). BMD is a rare genetic disease that involves progressive voluntary muscle weakness resulting in immobility, cardiac complications, and consequently, a shortened life expectancy. Since BMD is such a rare disease, patient-to-patient contact may be hard to come by. Additionally, BMD is relatively less severe compared to other types of muscular dystrophy, which sometimes causes not only larger health organizations to overlook it in some cases, patients themselves minimize their health issues as well. Based on my previous long-term involvement with BeckerMD.org, it became apparent to me that while the boards offered a virtual support group for patients, the lack of longerterm connections hindered the flow of discussion for many individuals. The program makes the patient-patient connection more formal so that the time and repeated interaction necessary to forge trusting relationships may be fostered. The program differs from a regularly meeting support group because it is more individualized; mentors and mentees would be paired according to age, life experiences, and other factors. The program aims to go beyond public-speakingengagement-type experience sharing, which, while beneficial, tends to be less personal, and constitutes a shorter-term relationship. Not only would the mentorship program benefit the mentees directly, but it would also support a group of patients who could become advocates in many other ways for other BMD patients. A preliminary survey distributed online to BMD patients indicated that nearly all (29 out of 30) respondents were interested or very interested in participating in a mentoring program. Furthermore, survey results showed a relatively even split between respondents who were interested in being mentors and mentees, which proves promising. Additional prior research includes contacting other patient mentoring programs, my extensive experience with peer mentoring in my other activities, volunteering at a muscular dystrophy camp, and conversing with many BMD patients, caretakers, and doctors.

2013 Economics/Latin American Studies emily_kirkland@brown.edu (646) 623-5271

Community-based Tourism in Vila da Volta

Emily Kirkland
Vila da Volta is a fishing community of 2,000 people on the banks of the Jaguaribe River, in the Brazilian state of Ceara. The town is striking for its beautiful location and for the immense warmth and friendliness of its people. Still, it is not an easy place to live. Fish populations have declined dramatically in recent years, leaving many families without a reliable source of income. Over the course of the past nine months, community leaders in Volta have begun talking about the idea of community-based tourism small-scale, sustainable tourism as one potential solution. Volta is located only about 20 km from Cona Quebrada, a major beach destination, which draws more the 240,000 national and international visitors every year. Volta could capitalize on this market, offering day trips and activities like boat rides on the Jaguaribe, nature walks in the mangroves, home-cooked meals, and dance performance. Trips to Volta could combine natural beauty with cultural immersion an experience totally unlike anything currently offered in the area. Volta is also located only about 10 km from Coquerinho, a separate community-based tourism project that draws 400 visitors a year. Coquerinho does not have beach or river access, and Coquerinho leaders have already expressed interest in forming a partnership in order to bring tourists to Vila da Volta. Implementing CBT in Volta would require almost no investment and involve almost no fixed costs. Instead, the CBT initiative could make use of existing assets like boats. Even with only a few hundred visitors a year, CBT could have a substantial impact on incomes and standards of living. In November, community leaders formed an official CBT committee, consisting of fishermen, women, and youth. They plan to begin receiving tourists from Coquerinho this spring. Unfortunately, they have not had the time or the financial resources to make some of initial investments that the project needs, like promotional materials and training for guides. This summer, I hope to help the CBT committee fully implement community-based tourism in Vila da Volta. I will arrange for a training session for guides and help with the creation of promotional materials and the construction of a walkway for mangrove tours, among other tasks. Ideally, by the end of the summer, Volta will be receiving tourists on a regular basis. Next November, Volta will become part of the Tucum Network, which is a group of 14 CBT projects throughout the state of Ceara. Tucum members receive advice, training and access to small grants from Terramar and Caicara, two NGOs based in the state capital of Fortaleza. Terramar and Caicara will thus be able to provide long-term support to the CBT project in Vila da Volta.

Connecting Children with Champions

Sidney Kushner
2013 I want to begin by introducing you to my friend Steven, an Applied Mathematics-Biology, 11-year old boy who could be the most die-hard hockey fan on Child Development Earth. Steven and I met at Camp Oochigeasa special camp for kids with cancerand instantly became friends. As soon as he sidney_kushner@brown.edu heard about my similar love for hockey, his eyes lit up. Nothing (617) 259-0377 excited Steven more than talking about his favorite playersto him, they are the ultimate role models. They are his inspiration to never give up being who he wants to be. Befriending Steven inspired me to do something big. In conjunction with professional athletes across the United States, I launched CCChampions. By connecting local, kind-hearted athletes with kids just like Steven, meaningful long-term relationships are created during the first six months of intensive cancer treatment. All other organizations in the market focus on the granting a single wish. CCChampions is the only program that creates lasting relationships, adding a warm stable force to an unstable life. Currently, CCChampions is working with Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) and its 6,000 member athletes across the nation. The pilot program between the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Association and Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh is already nearing completion. With 16 kids and 16 athletes, this first chapter has been more successful than I could have ever imagined. Between the connection that are instantly developed and the smiles that I see on these kids faces, nothing excites me more than the opportunity to share CCChampions with as many kids as possible. There is no better time to begin this process than this upcoming summer. Through our relationships with the MLBPAA and various hospitals around the country, the connections have already been made for the development of new chapters, particularly right here in Providence. This summer will be devoted to building a stable foundation consisting of the a team of officers, connections throughout the local community, and a collaborative sharing of new approaches and ideas to innovatively help kids who have cancer. The CCChampions network is ready to skyrocket, and this summer is without question a turning point in the future growth of the organization.

Food Recovery Network

Ben Chesler

2015 Economics ben_chesler@brown.edu (617) 259-0377

One out of seven households in Rhode Island are at risk of going hungry every day, and one out of six children live in poverty. At the same time, the U.S. produces over 34 million tons of food waste every year, spends 1 billion dollars just to dispose of that food waste, and recovers only 3% of that food. All of the discarded food sits in landfalls and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. On top of that, we are in an economic climate where donations to non-profits have dropped dramatically as even the households fortunate enough to have enough to feed their own families cannot afford to donate to those in need. The problem we face is not creating more food, but rather getting the food we have to the people who need it most. Solving the hunger crisis will fall to organizations that resemble trucking companies more than they do traditional NGOs. In this food landscape, food recovery (also known as food rescue) is a relatively new, viable alternative to traditional food donations. Food recovery organizations have emerged in cities across the country, recovering surplus food and bringing it to the people who need it most. From fruits and vegetables on a farm to dented cans in a supermarket, to prepared food in a cafeteria or restaurant, the supply of food that can be recovered is endless. We therefore find ourselves with no shortage of food and no shortage of people who need food. The tricky part is connecting the food with the people who need it. In Rhode Island, We Share Hope has emerged as the premier food recovery organization, collecting food from across the state and providing over 250,000 meals annually to the states hungry. With an unrelenting commitment to food recovery, and a healthy distaste for bureaucracy, We Share Hope has expanded rapidly in the past two years as they have built up the trust of the states manufacturers, restaurants, meal sites, and pantries. We Share Hope excels at building community and finding the people who really need food. Every person, from the CEO of a company donating food, to a homeless person receiving a meal, is both treated with respect and expected to share in the work of food recovery. Guided by those principles, We Share Hope has slowly but surely built up the We, reinforcing the notion that the food we recover belongs to the universal us and that we all have an interest in recovering and distributing it. We Share Hope has also thrived at making sure that the recovered food reaches the people who need it most, even if it means using non-traditional distribution methods. Through innovative partnerships with outreach workers and emergency shelters, We Share Hope is able to reach people who might not be served by traditional food banks. Yet despite these successes, We Share Hope faces some organizational challenges that threaten its sustainability. The two major challenges that We Share Hope faces are the lack of a sustainable funding model and a reluctance to take credit for its accomplishments. The two challenges are both separate and, at the same time, intertwined, a function of the reclusive nature of the organization. Furthermore, We Share Hope is looking to expand to college campuses and hospitals in the Providence area, in an effort to increase both the amount of food recovered and the efficiency of the operation. My own background in non-profit management, as well as my position as a Brown university student, put me in a place to help We Share Help overcome the challenges it faces. As the

former Chief Financial Officer of a youth-run non-profit, I am familiar with the funding landscape for NGOs. And as a Board member of the campus-based Food Recovery Network, a 501(c)3, I have knowledge of the workings of a successful food recovery organization. Furthermore, through my position as a student at Brown University, I have created and, with the help of the Starr Fellowship, will continue to expand a food recovery program on campus. With this Starr Fellowship, I hope to continue to expand Browns food recovery program as well as work to put We Share Hope on the path to financial stability. I will use the fellowship mentorship and trainings to enhance my knowledge of social entrepreneurship principles, and then I will apply those principles to We Share Hope. I will create a sustainable funding plan for the organization and I will ensure that it takes credit for its accomplishments, giving We Share Hope the ability to build up its base of supporters and expand its work in a sustainable manner.