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Volume 5 / July 2001 • A High Return on Investment |
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A major challenge in social work is to generate instant gratification for the benefactors. EDF is geared toward creating instant opportunities to sharpen the business skills of eager entrepreneurs and then providing the seed money needed to start business ventures. It has been more than a year and a half since the initiation of its programs, and EDF has graduated 222 students and funded 13 projects throughout Lebanon. All of a sudden, the issue is bigger than just helping entrepreneurs help themselves. We find ourselves gratified by a high return on investment. This return is high because the added value the investment generates is multi-faceted. The education of EDF graduates does not stop after the project funding: By accepting the responsibility to repay the funds, The recipients become accustomed to dealing with a financial institution and cash flow management. Lebanon’s entrepreneurial competitive edge in the region is diminishing. This is due not only to the various challenges the country is facing, but also because most other Middle Eastern countries have recognized and acted upon the need to foster entrepreneurial activities. Private sector companies and institutions have a vested interest in sustaining and growing the number of new business ideas and endeavors. Today’s start-up may be tomorrow’s major employer, borrower, distributor, manufacturer, or service provider. A vibrant small business community is necessary for a healthy economy. This is why your contributions to EDF projects are not simple donations, but investments yielding high returns for both benefactors and recipients. With best regards, Ramzi El Hafez EDF Executive Member |
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EDF Training of the Trainers With the Collaboration of UNIFEM
EDF participates in "The Arab Youth Forum" EDF appointed Miss Lamia al-Mawla to represent the foundation at "The Arab Youth Forum", which was held at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on June 26-27, 2001. Miss Mawla is an EDF graduate, who is well versed in discussing social and development issues. Moreover, her education and knowledge allowed her to tackle youth issues in general, and Lebanese youth issues, in particular. The forum was organized by (ESCWA) and the social and economic department at the UN general secretariat in New York.
EDF participates in conference supporting development in the South Emphasizing It’s support for any developmental initiative in South Lebanon, EDF Executive Director Mr. Majid Joumblat attended the launching of the report of " Working Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Support to the Development in South Lebanon", organized by the UNDP and the Government of Italy. The launching of the report took place on May 9, 2001, in the Rest House in Tyre with the participation of many active NGO’s who have fieldwork experience in the area. |
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The On-Going Projects of the South
Samer Maddah had high hopes for the newly liberated towns in the South. When he heard of the EDF training and soft loans, the computer instructor jumped for the chance to introduce some much-needed services to the area. With the three-year soft loan, Samer set out to repaint and redecorate his four-year-old shop in Rashaya area, and bought additional equipment to offer more varied services to his customers, including sale and maintenance of equipment. "Now, engineers can come and print out their maps and people can join computer training sessions," he said. Moreover, Samer stocked up on hardware and added photocopying machines, thus succeeding to attract an additional "about 40 percent" in clientele, according to him. Despite the harsh "economic conditions in the country," Samer only has praise for the EDF program, saying: "It’s a great idea, that would certainly help boost economic activity.
The knives and swords Antoine Semaan and his brother-in-law make will know no blood. Instead, they will hopefully find their way in the collection of souvenirs that tourists pick up during their stay in Lebanon."We make knives that are special to the Jezzine area," Antoine explained. "You know them from their elegant ivory handles." With his soft loan, Antoine upgraded his factory of Jezzine-made cutlery and started importing high-grade stainless steel for making the swords, knives, spoons and forks. Antoine also took the opportunity to promote his goods during the "Sidon Conference for Small Heritage Cities", where craftsmen where given the chance to exhibit their handicrafts. His 9 – year old son is helping him at work, so Antoine should rest assured that his business will enjoy longevity. Although Antoine acknowledges that business is slow due to the economic recession, he believes that his higher quality knives have a great chance of taking a sizable cut of the market.
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Seeking Entrepreneurial Origins: Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? By
Shannon Faris
Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? Some professors of Psychology, hold that entrepreneurs are born, not made. Through interviews with over 500 entrepreneurs over a three-year period, they observed that entrepreneurs commonly share certain personality characteristics. These include restlessness, independence, a tendency to be a loner, and extreme self-confidence. Other researchers have added innovative, action oriented, high on need for personal control and highly autonomous to the list of what they see as uniquely entrepreneurial characteristics. In addition to identifying personality traits common to entrepreneurs, they devised a chronological schema of entrepreneurial indicators they call the five ages of the entrepreneur. The ages include early childhood exposure, trouble in school, problems with work, desire to risk, and bliss in business independence. Trait theories such as these suggest that entrepreneurial aptitude is static-that is, either people are born with the related characteristics, or they are not. On the other hand, some other professors, offer a different dynamic model that suggests entrepreneurial intention is based on the interaction between personal characteristics, perceptions, values, beliefs, background and environment (situational context). Unlike the traits models, the approach incorporates the influence of environment, and the notion that entrepreneurial behavior is planned and intentional. This approach is process-focused in that the interaction of several factors are examined in order to predict behavior. They conclude that, like the intention to act entrepreneurially, the decision to continue behavior is influenced by the interaction of various factors. These include individual characteristics, individual environment, business environment, an individual's personal goal set, and the existence of a viable business idea. Through these interacting factors, individuals make several comparisons between their perceptions of a probable outcome, their intended goals, intended behavior and actual outcomes. Conclusion Are entrepreneurs born or made? Simply answered; entrepreneurs themselves and the topic of entrepreneurship are more complex than either possibility. It appears that entrepreneurial behavior is no different than most human behaviors in that its origins can only be traced to a complex interaction of innate, background, and environmental factors. As small business has been deemed the icon of economic force for the twenty-first century, perhaps the initial question of whether entrepreneurs can be made has been replaced by the new one of how entrepreneurship can best be facilitated. |
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EDF
goes the extra mile by training 25 trainers at the Social Affairs
Ministry, in collaboration with UNIFEM. In turn, these trainers
will convey their newly acquired skills to a multitude of Lebanese,
and particularly women, who seek their help in setting upbusinesses.
The
trainers received intensive four-day training sessions in computer
use, accounting, managing and financing small projects.They also
learned to appraise products, advertise and market them. The sessions
held on May 28 and 29 and June 5 and 6 in the ministry’s training
center in Hadath, was a true success and will surely reap tremendous
results. 
EDF
provided social affairs trainers with the opportunity to improve
their skills and remain updated in the latest training methods in
this field.This will certainly be reflected in their performance
and thus trickle down to a large number of people trained by them.
Samer
Maddah
Antoine
Semaan
| contact us at: edf@edf-lebanon.org |