Oportunidades para la paz y el desarrollo
Highlights 2012 Ahmsa changes the lives of 34 families through urban agriculture Ahmsa sees urban agriculture as a way to promote sustainability in entrepreneurship. Through the project “Seeds of Change,” in partnership with Mercy Corps, Ahmsa utilized urban agriculture as a way to help entrepreneurs meet their basic needs. On one hand, urban agriculture contributes to security, sovereignty, and food independence. On the other, it provides a space for the entrepreneurs so they can spend time on developing improvements and innovating. This project included capacity building through technical workshops, accompaniment, and supervision, which resulted in the creation of 20 gardens that produce goods such as lettuce, chard, carrots, strawberries, and potatoes.
Ahmsa teams up with the University of Jorge Tadeo Lozano to launch a TED Talk Ahmsa connected its entrepreneurs with students from the Industrial Design Program of the University of Jorge Tadeo Lozano through co-creational workshops to launch the TED Talk, TEDxLaCabrera. Ahmsa’s inclusive enterprises, EcoInnovo, Concazucoop, and Initium Grafic, formed part of five workshops with students, professors, and alumni from the university to design all of the materials necessary for the event, including agendas, programs, backpacks that convert into small coin purses, and the event scenery. This was a highly creative space that strengthened the capacities of the entrepreneurs by exposing them to some of the brightest minds in Colombian design. The project also resulted in business and revenue for the inclusive enterprises.
Ahmsa strengthens new alliances with key partners Ahmsa has developed its partnerships with the organizations Mercy Corps, Gómez-Pinzón Zuleta Abogados, and Kounkuey Design Initiative. Ahmsa worked with Mercy Corps through a grant to fund the “Seeds of Change” project, benefiting approximately 34 families from the Cazuca Highlands. Gómez-Pinzón Zuleta, the most prestigious law firm in Colombia, continues to offer pro bono legal services to Ahmsa and its entrepreneurs. The lawyers of GPZ commit at least 150 hours per month to pro bono work in vulnerable communities. Lastly, Kounkuey Design Initiative is an NGO that will collaborate with Ahmsa to construct the LITE House, the first center for learning, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship in marginalized communities in Colombia.
Matthew Alexander, Founder and President of Ahmsa, selected as an emerging social innovator by American Express and Ashoka Matthew was selected as one of 15 emerging innovators who participated in the American Express Emerging Innovators Boot Camp in New York City in June 2012.
Ahmsa trains its team and volunteers in the Canvas Business Model As part of the alliance between Ahmsa and Ventures, both organizations met in October 2012 to carry out a day of training on the Canvas business model. The training was led by Franz Campo, entrepreneurship consultant for Ventures, who forms part of Ahmsa’s advisory board. At the meeting, participants discussed how to implement the model developed by Alexander Osterwalder in the entrepreneurial ecosystem known as the base of the pyramid.
Med@red reopens with new equipment and services after a generous donation This inclusive enterprise, supported by Ahmsa, will reopen its doors in December 2012. Not just an internet cafĂŠ, Meg@red will serve as a techocultural center. This was made possible thanks to the donation of $1,500 by Michael Barrett, a thirty-year-old from Australia who fundraised for Ahmsa through a trip along the Mississippi River. This enterprise, led by youth, hopes to offer new services to the community, including computer literacy and facilitating access to new technologies.