Maryland Social Entrepreneur Corps (MSEC) In-Country Program Details
Nicaragua
Orientation and Foundation Building
You will fly to Managua on May 24th and will be met by Social Entrepreneur Corps (SEC) staff to travel to Granada (where SEC headquarters are based). You will spend two weeks living with local host families while participating in a training course to enhance cultural and country understanding, increase Spanish language capabilities, learn concepts and best practices related to development work/social entrepreneurship, and gain the content and technical skills needed to support clients/beneficiaries during the fieldwork segment of the program. You will work with SEC leadership to identify opportunities to make an impact through Social Innovations including the MicroConsignment Model and Grassroots Consulting, among others, and define client/beneficiary and community based desired outcomes. Upon completion of this segment, you will be placed into a team with other 11 other program participants. Each team will function as a “VNGO” (Virtual Non-Governmental Organization) and will travel and work together for the duration of the program on a variety of projects in different parts of the country. At the end of the program, each VNGO is given the opportunity to invest a pool of SEC funds in one or more projects that they learn about and deem worthwhile during the fieldwork segment.
Initial Field Work
After completing training, you will travel with your VNGO team to different satellite work sites in rural areas of Nicaragua, staying with additional homestay families, living in group settings, and/or in hotels. You will engage in a variety of activities to support social innovations including projects such as surveying local communities about life expectancy and health needs, creating promotional materials to draw attention to local artisans and products, designing educational campaigns to increase local awareness of the benefits of water purification and improved cook stoves, conducting promotional activities to assist women’s cooperatives selling eyeglasses, tracking product sales and inventories, and field testing new products and services. Each VNGO is accompanied by two development professionals whose role is to facilitate success in the field.
Reflection and Analysis
At the conclusion of the first segment of field work, you will return to the program headquarters for approximately five days to decompress, visit your homestay family, take additional Spanish classes, share best practices, problem solve, and work on projects.
Follow-Up Field Work
Following the reflection and analysis segment, you will return to the field with your VNGO to visit additional satellite sites for approximately two weeks and continue the work done by other VNGOs as well as your own specific project work.
Conclusion, Delivery and Presentation
You will reconvene with the entire program group at SEC headquarters for the final days of the program. During this time you will complete and present your projects, complete a Spanish evaluations, and visit your homestay family again. You will also work with your VNGO to make final decisions about the projects and organizations you will invest in and your group will present your funding decisions to Social Entrepreneur Corps field personnel.
