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Bienestar in Caldas

Our first Caldas-based social business is a health center called Bienestar, started by three entrepreneurs who had a lot of work to do to set up this center and promote it within the community of Villamaria, where it is located. As they were doing promotion door to door, Jorge, a medical student and one of the entrepreneurs, started a conversation with a woman who wanted to bring her daughter to Bienestar. “Health is a priority for us,” she stated, “and if we really need to see a doctor, even though we need to pay a little for it, we will find the money.”

This woman’s daughter had difficulty walking, a problem most other doctors had shrugged off, saying she’d grow out of it. Jorge, however, quickly realized that the child’s problem was that one leg was slightly longer than the other. Starting from that day, Jorge started advising the family on how to treat this condition – in fact, it is actually something that needs to be treated as soon as possible, before growth is too advanced. He also offered the family guidance on how to navigate the local health system so that the daughter could receive the care she needed.

Jorge’s story is a true example of how Social Business can have a real impact on peoples’ lives. Through his intervention and guidance, Jorge helped this young girl avoid a permanent handicap, not to mention the stigma associated with it. Our hope at Grameen Caldas is to continue the good work that Jorge and the rest of the entrepreneurs have started, and to use Social Business to improve the lives of people throughout Caldas.

Comments

Meena Kadri

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June 20, 2011, 10:22PM

Great to read about a Grameen Creative Lab project on the ground! I can certainly imagine this service being popular – as is the Affordable Private Schools (APS) model for low-income communities http://enterprisingschools.com/home/aps which provides quality education at a low cost subscription. When I was working on research in the slums of Mumbai, India, I noted that families were really proud to be paying their way for their children to go to APS – and I can imagine that folks using Bienestar feel the same way.

I think it's a common misconception by outsiders that people in low-income communities are waiting for hand-outs – where as actually they are often willing to pay for affordable, quality services like those offered by Bienestar. Initiatives like this not only support social business but stimulate local economies and bring dignity to low-income communities. Well done Grameen Creative Lab & Bienestar entrepreneurs!

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Irma Allen's reply to Meena Kadri's comment

Irma Allen

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June 22, 2011, 07:51PM

Really like that you have highlighted the misconception about low-income communities willing - and proud - to pay for quality services, rather than hoping for, and expecting, hand-outs. This is what makes social business so special - capitalism at its best!

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Haiyan Zhang

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June 20, 2011, 09:11PM

Thanks so much to Grameen Creative Lab for participating in the challenge and telling us a bit more about life in Caldas and existing social business ventures.

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