Entrepreneurship Support

Alliance with Fondo Esperanza (Hope Fund)

In 2007, Cencosud decided to aim its Corporative Social Responsibility policy at the overcoming of poverty through the carrying out of business endeavors. With this in mind, Cencosud formed a long-term solidarity alliance with Fondo Esperanza (Hope Fund), an institution that lends money and provides education to underprivileged entrepreneurs as a way of helping them create their own businesses.

By the end of 2007, Fondo Esperanza had helped 23,000 micro-entrepreneurs, 90% of which are women. This institution is present in 63 communes along Chile. In each of these communes, the institution has communal banks that promote organization and solidarity among people, so they can create their own small businesses and microenterprises.

The solidarity alliance formed by Cencosud and Fondo Esperanza considers different courses of action that have been being developed progressively and in different stages. The first stage consisted of collecting the customer's change at the Company's different business units. It first started in Santa Isabel supermarket chain, and then it moved on to Easy stores and Jumbo hypermarkets with a program called "1+1". The campaign was lastly implemented in April 2008, when it was set up in Paris department stores. Additionally, as an example of Cencosud's commitment, the company provides Fondo Esperanza with an annual contribution which is given directly to them. However, this alliance not only involves money, as Cencosud has also assumed the responsibility of educating and training micro-entrepreneurs. Executives and workers from the different business units give their support to Fondo Esperanza's "Escuela de Emprendimiento" (Entrepreneurship School). In this school, 18 different subjects arranged into four different areas are taught: personal and family development, business development and community bank.

Chile Aroma y Sabores (Chile Aromas and Flavors)

–handcrafts and national food – in an exhibit called “Chile Aromas y Sabores” (Chile Smells and Flavors). Currently, more than 60 products manufactured by micro and small entrepreneurs are sold in Jumbo Alto Las Condes.
Cencosud-Paris and Comunidad Mujer award the life testimony of women entrepreneurs
. These prizes were awarded at the end of a period of training workshops organized by Cencosud-Paris, Comunidad Mujer, and Fondo Esperanza. The workshops were created so as to strengthen the entrepreneur abilities of more than 200 micro-entrepreneurs from Fondo Esperanza.
. The yearly initiative, lead by the contest’s president of the jury, Horst Paulmann, is intended to become an inspiration that will motivate others to start working towards the overcoming of poverty. 
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