A CESO Advisor accompanied by the Nabonswendé microfinance group in Burkina Faso. Photo provided by Advisor
People need jobs to feed themselves and nourish their children and communities. They need opportunities and support – a “hand up, not a hand out,” as the saying goes. Here and abroad, CESO supports businesses at a local level, breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence. Our team creates jobs, increases incomes and builds hope. We create opportunity by supporting private-sector development, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). CESO also develops social programs that improve health services, education quality and employment training opportunities. We create hope for the future.
Small and medium-sized businesses are the main source of employment in many of the countries CESO works in. In
Colombia, SMEs generate 80% of the country’s total employment, especially for the economically disadvantaged. But these small businesses sometimes face difficulties in design and product quality and access to financial and technical assistance. In some cases, businesses are affected by unstable political and social conditions.
CESO is helping SMEs to increase revenue and the range of employment opportunities for men and women. CESO also works to increase SME competitiveness in the global market in order to foster larger economical growth. In
Guyana, CESO is working with the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), an umbrella body for tourism operations. The partnership is a five-year program committed to improving the quality of tourism services in order to increase THAG’s market share in the global tourism and hospitality industry. The same work is being accomplished in Cameroon with the Employers’ Federation of Hospitality and Tourism (SPIHT), a Professional Association of Hotels, to improve hotels and restaurants quality standards. In Burkina Faso CESO and its partners increase the sustainability of credit unions in what is a booming, regulated, microfinance sector.
CESO contributes to economic and social growth by helping to promote new employment opportunities, income generation, and improved standards of living around the world.