"I started understanding the scope of what could be achieved through development work when I went on my first campaign with ladies selling reading glasses in small rural community. I realized that the majority of the people there had never interacted with an outsider, and it was also my first experience of being in a community like that. We were reaching people who thought they wouldn't be able to see properly again, but we were able to help them through a practical, sustainable project, helping communities to help themselves. I was proud to be part of it."

Conor Thomas Powell
Regional Coordinator - CE Solutions
Team Leader - Social Entrepreneur Corps

To read more testimonials from past Social Entrepreneur Corps participants, CLICK HERE

Ventanitas de Luz

Through a creative marketing strategy created by team CE Solutions, Yoli and Clara Luz, two vision entrepreneurs, have had continued success with their rural sales campaigns. The strategy consists of a visit to local schools with small promotional flyers for upcoming campaigns which the entrepreneurs hand out to local school children. The children, who are often given this type responsibility, then bring the flyers home to their parents, who are in turn informed about the upcoming vision campaigns in their town. This tactic allows the women to effectively market their product without spending days walking door to door. Marketing efficiency is particularly important to the vision entrepreneurs who often have to travel up to two hours by bus on roads that resemble the moon's surface just to offer their services to rural communities.

One of our partner organizations, Visualiza, informed us that they were developing a new program called "ventanitas de luz" (little windows of light) specifically designed to provide rural, at-risk, youth with necessary eye care. The doctors agreed to assign Yoli and Clara a specific date when they could bring the identified children into the clinic.and that was all they needed.

Each child received a complete eye exam courtesy of the team at Visualiza. More importantly, the doctors took the time to speak with each of the parents and explain to them what measures they could take to prevent future eye problems with their children. Twelve children received free prescription eye glasses while children with lesser problems were given the recommendation from the doctors to buy eye drops or UV protected glasses from Yoli and Clara (the ladies offer these products at a much lower price than the clinic) to prevent future damage.

Of the twelve children that required prescription glasses, several needed prescriptions so thick that they had to use special frames. For these children, most of whom are eleven or twelve years old, this was the first time they had ever visited a doctor. How they had managed to make it so far in school is beyond our ability to understand.but now that is behind them.

CE Solutions / Partner For Surgery Announce New Collaboration

CE Solutions is proud to announce a new collaboration with Partner for Surgery ("PFS"). This US and Guatemala based organization is dedicated to bringing surgical care to the most remote and disadvantaged Guatemalan communities. PFS' and CE Solutions' philosophies and methodologies are very similar in that both organizations strive to provide the appropriate training and human/financial resources necessary so that local leaders can earn an incentive- based income whilst playing an integral role in solving local problems. PFS employs local regional managers who work to identify people with surgical needs in their surrounding communities. These managers then guide those with the greatest needs through a process whereby US and European doctors volunteering their time in Guatemala can perform life changing surgeries. To date, PFS has helped bring surgery to almost 2,300 people in rural Guatemala.

The alliance offers a compelling opportunity for both organizations to enhance their outreach and provide greater services to people in need. As we work in geographic regions where PFS currently does not, PFS will be training select Vision Advisors (amongst others) to conduct initial surgical needs evaluations in remote villages. This will allow PFS to quickly broaden its reach and improve its ability to bring surgical care to people in rural communities. Conversely, as PFS works in regions where we have not yet established a presence, CE Solutions will be training select PFS regional managers to become Vision Advisors and thus earn greater income while creating broader access to reading glasses and vision care. All of this translates to an efficient leveraging of resources on an organizational level, but most importantly to the creation of more opportunities for hard working Guatemalan social entrepreneurs to help more people in their communities with essential health care. We view this as yet another means whereby CE Solutions can provide intelligent development solutions through our network of entrepreneurs who are constantly looking to solve more problems in their communities. We thank PFS for their support and confidence.

“Traveling down to Guatemala and participating in the Social Entrepreneur Corps program was one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. The intensity of being submersed in the diverse culture, taking part in the language, and witnessing the economic challenges faced by locals, was not so much overwhelming, but rather was gratifying as we worked together to not only discuss solutions, but actually create realistic relief models. Aside from long days and hard work, we had plenty of time to explore Guatemala and enjoy its beautiful landscape. From climbing the active volcano Pacaya to picnicking on the countryside or watching the sunset over Lake Atitlan, it was always a breathtaking experience that no photograph could ever completely capture. I think it is important for everyone to realize that this experience is not just an opportunity for volunteers to use their resources and knowledge to teach the indigenous how to solve local problems, but also serves as a learning experience for us just the same. The leadership’s consistent guidance, understanding, support, kindness, positive outlooks and delightful personalities truly made this experience as great as it was, encouraging us to be and do the best that we knew how."

To read more testimonials from past Social Entrepreneur Corps participants, CLICK HERE