3 Steps
Dare To Dream is a project that is developed to serve the people of Africa by training them in business management and empowering them with micro loans. To do this we have created multiple steps so that we increase the successes of their businesses.
These are the 3 steps that we take:
Connect
Dare To Dream believes in putting our relationships before our program. To do that, we need to know the people who are interested in partaking in the program. Connecting with those who are interested is vital to the rest of the development of their businesses. By connecting with them before the program starts helps us get a better view on what they were doing and how they were doing it before they joined the program. We get to know many people during this process, but not all start the program. We have to select them first.
Selection
After connecting with all these people we select the ones who will be partaking in the program. The first selection is made by choosing those who are attending the business training. The selection for those who are coming to our training is very simple. Anyone can come. Well, almost anyone. Our business training is mostly funded by donations, but the participants have to make a financial contribution as well. This helps us make a small separation between those who are willing to learn and those who want a free hand-out. The people who are ready to make a small contribution are the ones that we take to the next step. Invest.
Dare To Dream believes in putting our relationships before our program. To do that, we need to know the people who are interested in partaking in the program. Connecting with those who are interested is vital to the rest of the development of their businesses. By connecting with them before the program starts helps us get a better view on what they were doing and how they were doing it before they joined the program. We get to know many people during this process, but not all start the program. We have to select them first.
Selection
After connecting with all these people we select the ones who will be partaking in the program. The first selection is made by choosing those who are attending the business training. The selection for those who are coming to our training is very simple. Anyone can come. Well, almost anyone. Our business training is mostly funded by donations, but the participants have to make a financial contribution as well. This helps us make a small separation between those who are willing to learn and those who want a free hand-out. The people who are ready to make a small contribution are the ones that we take to the next step. Invest.
Invest
In the step of investing we have a few things that we do. As mentioned before the first thing we do next is our business training.
Business Training
The first thing we do in making an investment in the people who join the program is Training. We believe that without proper training the chances of them failing the rest of the program is pretty high. Also most businesses don’t really know how to manage a business. In this training we teach them the basics of business management. We do this in a very simple so that everyone can understand no matter what their background is. It is also very hands-on. Meaning that once they leave our training they can immediately apply the things that they have learned.
Application
After the business training we wait for about a month and a half before we visit them at their businesses. We do not give them a loan yet, but we are just visiting to see how they are doing. During this visit we will see how the business has progressed from before the training and now after the training. Some people have attended the training and are now expecting to receive money from us. We don’t work like that. We want to see a change in the way that they are running their business. People who don’t make a change in the way they are running their business are not given a loan. When that happens it shows that these people are not motivated and do not take the growth of their business serious. Those who do make a change or at least make an effort in making a change will receive an loan application form. When they fill out this form there is a chance for them to receive a loan. But this is again not certain. We look at the way they fill out their loan application and see if it is making sense. When it does we will give them a loan.
Micro Loan
The loans that we give are considered; micro loans. A micro loan ranges officially between $50.- to $1,500.-. The loans that we give are limited up to $1,075.-. We request the applicant to provide 20% of the total requested amount. When a person applies for a loan where the total budget is $1,000.- the applicant will get at most $800.- and the applicant will need to provide $200.-. The applicant might not always be ready to handle the amount that they applied for. We then see how much they would be ready to handle and give out a loan for that amount. The loan will have a maximum of 2 months of grace period, meaning they will start making payments at the end of the third month after receiving the loan. The payments will be made over a one year maximum. We make the repayment schedule according to what works the best for the applicant. We charge a 5% interest rate on the total amount that is lend. This is much lower then some of the other financial institutions who can charge you up to 40% on a loan.
After giving out a loan we visit them 2-4 times per month. During these visits we continue to encourage them and give them advice in ways they can expand their business. We do this up to the day that they repay their loan. After that we are still able to give advice, but the request will have to come from them. But the businesses who reach that point have been trained, empowered and mentored in such a way that they are able to manage and run their business now on their own.
In the step of investing we have a few things that we do. As mentioned before the first thing we do next is our business training.
Business Training
The first thing we do in making an investment in the people who join the program is Training. We believe that without proper training the chances of them failing the rest of the program is pretty high. Also most businesses don’t really know how to manage a business. In this training we teach them the basics of business management. We do this in a very simple so that everyone can understand no matter what their background is. It is also very hands-on. Meaning that once they leave our training they can immediately apply the things that they have learned.
Application
After the business training we wait for about a month and a half before we visit them at their businesses. We do not give them a loan yet, but we are just visiting to see how they are doing. During this visit we will see how the business has progressed from before the training and now after the training. Some people have attended the training and are now expecting to receive money from us. We don’t work like that. We want to see a change in the way that they are running their business. People who don’t make a change in the way they are running their business are not given a loan. When that happens it shows that these people are not motivated and do not take the growth of their business serious. Those who do make a change or at least make an effort in making a change will receive an loan application form. When they fill out this form there is a chance for them to receive a loan. But this is again not certain. We look at the way they fill out their loan application and see if it is making sense. When it does we will give them a loan.
Micro Loan
The loans that we give are considered; micro loans. A micro loan ranges officially between $50.- to $1,500.-. The loans that we give are limited up to $1,075.-. We request the applicant to provide 20% of the total requested amount. When a person applies for a loan where the total budget is $1,000.- the applicant will get at most $800.- and the applicant will need to provide $200.-. The applicant might not always be ready to handle the amount that they applied for. We then see how much they would be ready to handle and give out a loan for that amount. The loan will have a maximum of 2 months of grace period, meaning they will start making payments at the end of the third month after receiving the loan. The payments will be made over a one year maximum. We make the repayment schedule according to what works the best for the applicant. We charge a 5% interest rate on the total amount that is lend. This is much lower then some of the other financial institutions who can charge you up to 40% on a loan.
After giving out a loan we visit them 2-4 times per month. During these visits we continue to encourage them and give them advice in ways they can expand their business. We do this up to the day that they repay their loan. After that we are still able to give advice, but the request will have to come from them. But the businesses who reach that point have been trained, empowered and mentored in such a way that they are able to manage and run their business now on their own.
Release
The day that they have made their last payment is the day that we release them from the program. At this stage they are business people who were able to increase their business, enlarge their knowledge on business management, they have reached a higher level of self-sustainability and are now creating a more stable income for their families. Their successful completion of the program is not only a benefit for that person, but their repayment can now be used to support other people in their journey to become self-sustaining.
The day that they have made their last payment is the day that we release them from the program. At this stage they are business people who were able to increase their business, enlarge their knowledge on business management, they have reached a higher level of self-sustainability and are now creating a more stable income for their families. Their successful completion of the program is not only a benefit for that person, but their repayment can now be used to support other people in their journey to become self-sustaining.
