Latin America and the Caribbean

CDC Development Solutions manages several programs in Latin America and the Caribbean focused on agribusiness market linkages, community development, tourism, and SME development. CDC Development Solutions has partnered with both the private and public sectors in Latin America, and our clients have included multinationals such as Goldcorp and donor agencies such as the Global Development Alliance of USAID.  Below, please find brief descriptions of the work that we do across the continent. Click here for more information about our work in Latin America and the Caribbean,  or contact John Gohring.

CDS in Latin America and the Caribbean

Belize

In partnership with Deloitte, CDS’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division worked with Beltraide, Belize Trade and Investment Development Services, to develop a business and marketing plan for a “Made in Belize” brand of local products. The MWB business advisors—all new employees of Deloitte—assisted Beltraide in fostering business-driven partnerships between resorts, shops, Belizean Diaspora, local production businesses, and local communities. These partnerships broadened businesses’ participation in trade opportunities, promoted cultural richness and intercultural understanding, and enhanced Belize’s positioning as a global leader among sustainable tourism destinations.

Bolivia

In partnership with the Grassroots Business Fund, CDS’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) volunteers provided technical assistance to MiPyME Bolivia in La Paz. MiPyME is part of an initiative with the CAPCEM Foundation, which helps to provide working capital to budding SMEs across Bolivia. MiPyME’s primary objective is to provide previously inaccessible financial and organizational knowledge to local SMEs in order to promote growth through enhancing their managerial and production skills and capacities.

Brazil

In Brazil, CDC Development Solutions works on programs focused on MSME development, the reduction of crime, and the mainstreaming of rights of underserved groups and the disabled. CDC Development Solutions works with the IBM Corporate Service Corps and coordinates diverse teams of IBM staff working pro bono with a number of local NGOs. IBM’s Corporate Service Corps is an innovative initiative that seeks to promote economic growth in emerging markets while providing new global business and leadership opportunities for IBM employees. CDS is also working with FedEx on its first International Corporate Volunteer program--the Global Leadership Corps--in Salvadror.

Chile

In partnership with the IBM Corporate Service Corps, CDC Development Solutions is working in Chile by coordinating IBM staff working pro bono with a number of local NGOs. Currently, CDS is working with Fundacion Accion Emprendadora, an NGO focused on micro and small business development. Another partner is Chile's oldest environmental group, CODEFF, which focuses on conservation of the Chilean environment. INFOCAP is a CDS partner and NGO providing technical, skills-based vocational training. JUNDEP, laregly made up of architects, urban designers and social workers, works to improve the quality of life of the poor Chilean population by providing technical assistance on housing programs and credit plans in microfinance. Un Techo Para Chile, an non-profit founded in 1997, works on building sustainable housing units and providing poor communities with clean water and proper sewage systems.

Colombia

In Colombia, CDC Development Solutions provided assistance to at-risk, low income children in partnership with Futbol Con Corazon (Soccer for Peace Foundation), a Colombian nonprofit that uses the power of soccer to provide better life opportunities to underprivileged youths. MBAs Without Borders (MWB) advisors collaborated with Futbol Con Corazon to offer new opportunities to thousands of underprivileged children and teenagers by providing educational workshops and hosting soccer trainings and tournaments. By employing core values shared by both organizations, the programs were able to build safe and peaceful communities in Barranquilla, Colombia, and inspired social responsibility and education to a new generation of Columbian youth.

Ecuador

In Ecuador, CDS assisted a locally-owned organic flower exporter, Organic Blooming, to maximize its growth potential and access markets in the United States and Europe by creating an e-commerce business strategy. CDS’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division supported the firm's mission to be environmentally conscious and socially responsible and helped the business in its efforts to become the leading producer and exporter of organically certified cut-flowers in Ecuador.

Guatemala

In partnership with Goldcorp, Inc. (previously Glamis Gold), CDC Development Solutions designed and implemented a community development program that raised living standards in two of the poorest communities in Guatemala. The Integrated Community Development Program (ICDP) built the capacity of municipal governments and provided services in health, enterprise development, vocational education, agro-forestry, and environmental management. As a means of ensuring local ownership of the project, CDC Development Solutions created a Guatemalan NGO, the Fundación Sierra Madre (FSM), to coordinate and deliver all of the services provided in the communities. As planned at the outset of the program, FSM is now a locally-owned NGO, and CDC Development Solutions is an advisor. The ICDP Program is highlighted on Goldcorp’s Corporate Responsibility page on its website.

Guyana

In Guyana, CDC Development Solutions worked with local firms to maximize their benefits from international trade agreements and to assist them in exploiting niche export markets in the wood products, fisheries, tourism, and agribusiness industries. MBA Enterprise Corps Advisors and short-term volunteers worked with hundreds of stakeholders - including farmers, business associations, marketing groups, industry representatives, Guyanese exporters and US importers - to identify gaps in the supply chain, distinguish export-ready farmers and artisans, and work with them to create new marketing and branding plans. Through these activities, CDC Development Solutions empowered local and national groups to more effectively promote Guyanese products. Partners in Guyana included the Carana Corporation, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, the Guyana Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Research Institute, U.S. importers, and Guyanese exporting firms.

Haiti

In Haiti, CDC Development Solutions partnered with Hôpital Albert Schweitzer and Fonkoze, a microfinance organization, to deliver sustainable development programs to their stakeholders. CDS’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division collaborated with Hôpital Albert Schweitzer to improve its management and systems in order to provide improved medical care and community health and development programs for more than 300,000 people. MWB Advisors built technology, financial and accounting protocols; developed cost management programs; and implemented IT systems that enabled the hospital to further its mission of providing healthcare to those who cannot afford it. In partnership with Fonkoze, MWB developed a detailed, multi-year business plan for the largest micro-finance institution in Haiti offering a full range of financial services to the rural-based poor.

Honduras

Through a partnership with Creative Associates International, CDC Development Solutions’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division improved the performance of small regional cooperatives, and indirectly increased their stakeholders’ support. MWB worked with local community cooperatives to develop job training, business development, and mentoring programs for former gang members to help them to become more responsible contributors to society.

Jamaica

Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, CDC Jamaica, CDC Development Solutions has been active in Jamaica since 2006 supporting the development of innovative business relationships that strengthen the linkages between small-holding farmers and the Jamaican agroprocessing sector. CDC Development Solutions’ work in Jamaica provides training and technical expertise at all levels of the agricultural supply chain, from the individual farmer, to the Extension Officer, to the agroprocessing firms servicing the country’s resort hotels and export markets. CDC Development Solutions takes a sustainable approach to agricultural development that focuses on preserving the unique biodiversity of the island nation. CDC Development Solutions’ partners in Jamaica include USAID, the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture, Alcoa, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Mexico

CDC Development Solutions’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division partnered with Proteak, a Mexican forestry company, to explore potential environmentally-friendly export opportunities in the United States and European markets. MWB’s improvements in Proteak’s financial and operations management and production processes ensured a successful launch into the United States market and established international relationships that would uphold Proteak’s vision of transforming the forestry industry through a visible commitment to stopping deforestation and promoting sustainable business practices and development. Also in Mexico, CDS is working with Pfizer on the expansion of its Global Health Fellows program. CDS will field a team of Pfizer employees to provide pro bono consulting services to health-focused NGOs in Mexico City.

Nicaragua

In Managua, CDS’ MBAs Without Borders (MWB) division collaborated with small and growing eco-friendly construction companies to improve their marketing capabilities and operations in order to better serve the emerging eco-construction market. CDC Development Solutions advisors participated in the development of these microenterprises by creating materials, launching websites, and facilitating a conference for local real estate development professionals that focused on sustainable practices and creating needed jobs in local communities.

Peru

In partnership with the Grassroots Business Fund, CDS’ MBA Without Borders (MWB) division provides technical assistance to Procesadora S.A.C., a Peruvian family-owned exporter of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables to the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, to scale its operations and to secure access to better financing options to purchase land for expansion and to build a new warehouse. MWB also helps Procesadora to establish a governing board and succession plan, a direct crop promotion system, and to determine key performance indicators to be monitored and evaluated regularly to ensure the success of their business plan. Also in Peru, CDS worked with Pfizer on the its new Global Health Fellows program. CDS fielded a team of Pfizer employees to provide pro bono consulting services to health-focused NGOs in Lima.

Regional Programs

Antigua, The Bahamas, Grenada, St. Kitts, Trinidad and Tobago

Through a partnership with the Organization of American States, CDC Development Solutions worked with locally-owned tourism operators, including hotels, restaurants, and tour operators across the Caribbean Basin to enhance their abilities to provide high-quality customer service to their international customers, to effectively market themselves in the international arena, and to upgrade their management practices and ICT infrastructure.

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