Entrepreneurs need a detailed sustainable business plan to identify risks, analyze the market, obtain ongoing financing, and effectively manage growth. This plan allows them to develop stronger relationships with financial institutions, suppliers, and customers. Creating the plan greatly benefits with advice from experienced business professionals, particularly those who have also been entrepreneurs.

Your donation allows EcoThrive to schedule training sessions using experienced business professionals to guide groups of entrepreneurs in developing business plans. Funds will pay for travel to the training site, facility rental, and trainer fees.

Lack of access to clean water and safe sanitation negatively affects the entire family, particularly women and girls who are often required to spend hours obtaining water or are reluctant to use sanitation facilities at night. These tasks reduce their opportunities for education and personal development. Ensuring access to clean water and safe sanitation, including gender sensitive designs for safety and menstrual hygiene support, dramatically improves the lives of women and girls, particularly educational opportunities.

Your donation provides funds to improve drinking water access by drilling water wells, installing solar water pumps, or repairing existing pumps. These funds also support installation of sanitation facilities that provide safe use at night, utilize gender sensitive design, include accessibility for children and people with physical limitations, and incorporate any cultural requirements.

Entrepreneurs may not have the technical knowledge to install or service water and sanitation facilities. To ensure sustainability of the project, technical training for grantees will be provided by engineers from the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector or by local universities with programs in environmental engineering.

Your donation allows EcoThrive to schedule technical training sessions using experienced technologists, environmental engineers, and educators so grantees become knowledgeable about installation and service requirements for various types of facilities. Funds will pay for travel to the training site, facility rental, and trainer fees.

Entrepreneurs typically require outside funds to start their business. Higher startup costs occur if the business includes equipment inventory for installation and maintenance services in a timely manner. They may not develop a relationship with a financial institution until the business demonstrates sales and cash flow.

Your donation provides startup capital so the entrepreneur can purchase inventory to gain initial sales for new facilities or support the maintenance of existing facilities. Inventory may be purchased directly. Alternatively, the donation may be used as a security deposit to obtain inventory financing from a financial institution without using the inventory as collateral. The latter option allows the entrepreneur to develop an early relationship with a financial institution.