TechnoServe
Encyclopedia
TechnoServe is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Washington, DC which helps entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their countries.
The first step of TechnoServe's approach is to build businesses in developing countries by locating emerging entrepreneurs and nurturing them through training, mentoring and networking. Then, it helps entrepreneurs to identify customer needs by tapping into market information that is immediately useful for their purposes. TechnoServe also develops entrepreneur's capacity to assemble capable managers, create sound business plans, raise financing and penetrate markets. A world-class advice is provided through strategic alliances with experts in the fields of finance, management consulting and agriculture.
With a special report on corporate responsibility and philanthropy
, the Financial Times
ranked TechnoServe as the 4th best non-governmental organisation in the world.
Functional practices are dedicated to core business disciplines in the social sector: developing entrepreneurs, building businesses and industries, and improving the business environment.
The industry practices are: agriculture & agribusiness, alternative energy and tourism.
The regions where TechnoServe is present are:
, Paul E. Tierney, Jr. and Jerry Baldwin
.
Citizens of the countries where TechnoServe is present represent 97% of the staffs.
Mission
TechnoServe's mission is to "help entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their countries."The first step of TechnoServe's approach is to build businesses in developing countries by locating emerging entrepreneurs and nurturing them through training, mentoring and networking. Then, it helps entrepreneurs to identify customer needs by tapping into market information that is immediately useful for their purposes. TechnoServe also develops entrepreneur's capacity to assemble capable managers, create sound business plans, raise financing and penetrate markets. A world-class advice is provided through strategic alliances with experts in the fields of finance, management consulting and agriculture.
With a special report on corporate responsibility and philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
, the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
ranked TechnoServe as the 4th best non-governmental organisation in the world.
History
TechnoServe was founded in 1968 by businessman and philanthropist Ed Bullard after a volunteering experience at a hospital in Ghana. He was inspired to start an organisation helping rural people harness the power of private enterprise to lift themselves out of poverty.Organisation
TechnoServe is organised in functional and industry practices.Functional practices are dedicated to core business disciplines in the social sector: developing entrepreneurs, building businesses and industries, and improving the business environment.
The industry practices are: agriculture & agribusiness, alternative energy and tourism.
The regions where TechnoServe is present are:
- South America: BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... - Central America: El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean... - West Africa: BeninBeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Côte d'IvoireCôte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south... - East Africa: EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... - Southern Africa: MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and SwazilandSwazilandSwaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique... - Asia: IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
People
Responsible for TechnoServe's direction is a volunteer Board of Directors, made up of distinguished international leaders in the fields of agribusiness, finance, marketing and management consulting, such as Suzanne Nora JohnsonSuzanne Nora Johnson
Suzanne Nora Johnson is an American corporate lawyer and executive. Until 2007, she was Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, Chairman of the Global Markets Institute, head of the firm's Global Investment Research Division, and a member of the firm's Management Committee.Johnson joined Goldman Sachs in...
, Paul E. Tierney, Jr. and Jerry Baldwin
Jerry Baldwin
Jerry Baldwin, along with Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl, founded Starbucks in Seattle in 1971.Baldwin learned the coffee trade from Alfred Peet, whose store Peet's Coffee & Tea was the inspiration for Starbucks. Starbucks purchased roasted coffee beans from Peet's during its first year of operation...
.
Citizens of the countries where TechnoServe is present represent 97% of the staffs.