GCL 2019 Winner of the #BetterTogether Challenge
In April 2021, the Corporación para el Desarrollo del Emprendimiento y la Innovación Social (Codeis), was announced as one of the winners of the #BetterTogether Challenge, an IDB and USAID initiative.
In Ecuador and Peru, CODEIS aims to empower Venezuelan migrants and host communities to become entrepreneurs and agents of change through its “Young Change Makers Academy,” Through a comprehensive training program, mentorship opportunities, and personalized support, CODEIS will equip and empower more than 1,000 beneficiaries, with special focus on women and LGBTIQ+ communities, to create profitable, sustainable businesses while generating social impact and leading transformation in their communities.
In alliance with local organizations Alas de Colibrí, Dialogo Diverso, FUDELA, and Shapers4Venezuela, the World Changemakers Academy program will also offer training for participants and their families in soft skills with a gender-diversity approach. Upon program completion, the beneficiaries will have connections to access to seed capital, a network of entrepreneurs, and a mentor-certification program to ensure an organic multiplier effect for higher and sustainable impact.
Francisco Abad, Executive Director of Codeis and a GCL 2019 fellow, has played a fundamental role in the design and implementation of these projects by being the main facilitator and creator of the World Change Makers methodology. Francisco is in charge of trainings, and in 2020-21 he has provided more than 150 hours of training. In 2021, through these and other projects, Codeis has impacted around 1,200 people in 15 Latin American countries.