Consulting in Nicaragua:
Winter 2013
Kim delaMontaigne
Kim.delamontaigne@gmail.com
Business, Society, and the Economy
Academic Majors: Finance and Accounting
San Juan del Sur
BMGT448N
To fulfill my College Park Scholars practicum, I participated
in a global studies program in the winter of 2013 in
Nicaragua. I, along with 19 other students in BMGT448N:
Doing Business in Nicaragua,, I traveled to three cities:
Managua, Granada, and San Juan del Sur. Prior to the trip, we
met often to Skype with our Nicaraguan partners and to
fundraise for the San Juan del Sur entrepreneurs we partnered
with. In Managua, we partnered with Nicaraguan university
students to draft business plans, brochures, and budgets for
local projects. After touring Granada, we met with the
pioneers of a lending library to assist them in the same way.
Finally, in arguably the most rewarding part of the trip, we
worked for a few days with entrepreneurs of San Juan del Sur.
The en&re group in Managua Managua
After touring historic sites and learning about the Nicaraguan
government, we got to work at our beautiful hotel with
students from UAM and UNAN, two universities in
Nicaragua. In teams, we worked together on developing
marketing strategies and business plans for new ideas and
products about to be sold and produced. My group worked
with Vínculos, a company that creates hands-on learning tool
kits for local preschools. We worked with the Nicaraguan
students, who soon became dear friends, in a consulting
project with the Vínculos women. Together we drafted
brochures, business cards, and a marketing PowerPoint
presentation that the group will use to explain their project in
future endeavors.
Granada
In Granada, which is more of a traditional city with beautiful
buildings and cobblestone streets, we met with two partners
who are starting a lending library for the people of
Nicaragua. With only one other library they knew of, the pair
did not have much information to go off of, and we assisted
in researching loans and creating an informative microfinance lending presentation. This was perhaps the most
educational part of the trip, because we all learned about
micro-finance and were able to share our knowledge with the
library to hopefully steer them in the direction of receiving
loans and more funding for their project.
The most rewarding part of our trip was visiting the
beautiful beach town of San Juan del Sur. Not only were
we given the opportunity to explore many of the
volcanoes, rainforests, and beaches in this city, but we
worked hands-on with local entrepreneurs who taught us
the most about the Nicaraguan people and culture. My
group worked with Noelia and Mirna, two sisters who
make beautiful jewelry out of their home and sell it on the
local street markets. Without access to a computer, Noelia
and Mirna have struggled to campaign their products to
other people besides their neighbors in San Juan, and it
has been difficult to keep track of their finances. Together,
our group created a Facebook page where they now sell
their products, business cards and a brochure to hand out
at hotels and local businesses. We also designed a catalog
with photos of all of their crafts. We surprised the sisters
with a computer, a camera, and a monetary donation from
the fundraising we had done prior to the trip.
Before zip-­‐lining through the forests of San Juan del Sur Experiences
Throughout our entire trip, we traveled with and were
guided by Jane Mirandette, a brilliant woman who seems
to know just about everyone in Nicaragua, and our
wonderful driver and translator Edwin. In addition to the
work that our groups did in Nicaragua, they led us to
explore the country and learn about their culture. We
participated in activities such as touring a chocolate
factory, climbing volcanoes, and zip-lining through the
hills of San Juan del Sur (pictured below). My favorite
part of the trip was tasting coffee in the rainforest where it
is grown, and comparing the different types of coffee we
drink in the states to the pure blends of Nicaragua- it was
delicious, but strong!
With Nicaraguan students at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) Looking Back & Forward
Our advisors, Dr. Susan White Lily Griner, and Pat Heron
could not have led a better trip and we thank them for the
opportunity. I am so thankful to the Smith School for
introducing me to this experience. The people we met and
worked with in all three cities soon became very close
friends. Mirna still keeps in touch over Facebook and is
sure to let us know when new earrings or bracelets have
gone up on their page. Many students have made plans to
go back to the country next winter. When we met with a
few different people from the American embassy, they
even informed us about their internship programs, and a
few of my peers have considered taking the opportunity to
return this summer!