Microenterprise Development

Heartland International recognizes the importance of a free and open market to the strengthening of democratic institutions. To this end, Heartland International has successfully held multiple long-term programs to train young business owners, stimulate local economies, and create organizing institutions to promote sustainable growth.  Such projects include Halibur Bisnis Manatuto, an in-country program designed to empower local business owners to stimulate and support economic growth in East Timor, and the Tanzanian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (TAWE) in Tanzania.

Currently, in the summer of 2010 Heartland completed the U.S. training portion of the U.S. State Department Kenyan Young Entrepreneurs Program, which worked to build the capacity of ten small business owners in rural provinces of Kenya.  Over the next year those participants, along with Heartland and its in-country contacts, will work to establish a Kenyan Young Entrepreneur's Association with regional chapters to promote youth employment.

Other aspects of our microenterprise programs include:

• Privatization and Deregulation: Heartland International has conducted several programs focusing on the impact of privatization and deregulation, the development of business incubators, and community-based investment programs for participants from Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.

• Train-the-trainer: Most programs are geared toward long-term sustainable growth, and small groups of participants are provided with the skills to recruit and train 

• Community Connections - Business Programs: Most programs incorporate an internship experience or business placement, where participants are immersed in a multi-week, multifaceted training environment that includes on-site business training, relevant seminars and educational site visits.