Program

The Entrust Board sends teams of American business-people on week-long Entrust Ventures to establish training and mentoring relationships with budding micro-entrepreneurs in developing nations.

Within its current geographic scope of Latin America and the Caribbean, Entrust connects with existing communities in order to establish Entrust Teams. These communities take a variety of forms (fraternities, churches, schools, micro-finance institution customers, etc) but all exhibit a level of pre-established trust among poor local citizens.

Through a series of Entrust Ventures and online mentoring, Entrust Teams are developed. Each member applies their business development training and mentoring to a micro-enterprise of their own. They meet regularly with each other for support and trouble-shooting. Entrust leadership works to connect them to sources of capital, preferably local micro-finance institutions.

As Entrust Team members become successful in their micro-enterprises, they are encouraged to give back by mentoring new Entrust Team members and perhaps developing new Entrust Teams.

Whereas local year-round leadership is gradually established at each Entrust program site, the Entrust Forum provides ongoing support and encouragement by connecting them to business-people in the United States. When the process of securing computer and internet access for a given Entrust Team is complete, Team members will be able to seek business advice on the Forum from multiple Entrust Mentors or from a single one with whom a relationship has been established.

While the mission of Entrust is obviously weighted to benefit those in developing nations, developed-world mentors gain nearly as much through new, service-focused relationships. Expanding one's sense of purpose and view of the world's needs is priceless.