Social Enterprise Program of Tibetan Village Project
Skills Training | Business Education | Micro Enterprise Loans
What are Social Enterprises? Social enterprises are commonly defined as organizations that apply market-based strategies toward social goals. Some of the NGOs working on the Tibetan Plateau have begun to adopt developing social enterprises as an alternative method for realizing their missions for two main reasons: first, local communities face the challenge of sustaining projects on their own after the initial funding period ends, and second, NGOs continue to face operational challenges in Tibetan areas due to political sensitivity.
Core Issue: In the last few decades, the Tibetan economic landscape has undergone a dramatic degree of change, shifting from a predominantly subsistence, agricultural economy to a new mixed economy. Due to this new marketplace dominated by the commercial interests of Han migrants, the traditional bartering system of local Tibetans is no longer viable. This shift calls for an economic empowerment program for Tibetans that includes training in employable skills, access to capital and business know-how to compete with Han migrants, and an ability to maintain Tibetan cultural identity. The need for this type of program is especially urgent for Tibetans that were hit the hardest by the Yushu earthquake, as they need to rebuild their lives as well as the local economy.
Our Target: TVP’s main focus is in rural villages and townships where about 80% of Tibetans still live, holding strong cultural identities. While most microfinance programs work directly with the poorest of the poor, TVP identifies entrepreneurs with proven successes – that is, those who are ready, willing and able to create social change in their own communities by starting or improving small businesses, creating jobs, employing locals, and helping others to help themselves.
TVP’s Social Enterprise Program embodies the old adage, "give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.” Our objective is to alleviate poverty while preserving the Tibetan culture by providing culturally appropriate skills training, business education, and enterprise loans responsibly to assist individuals and families create successful businesses. Many of our loan recipients in rural villages are farmers and nomads who do not have formal education or marketable skills, which are often necessary before starting a business.
1. Skills Training: TVP often provides need-based skills training such as motorbike repairs, woodworking, cooking and handcrafts lasting from a few days to a few months depending on the needs of the individual and location of our target communities. In some cases, TVP is able to work with those that provide vocational training or already have trade skills but need access to capital.
2. Business Education: Whether loan recipients have experience running a business or are starting a new one, most need practical business education from several hours of mentoring to several days of training. TVP organizes training workshops which focus on how to start or improve businesses by helping to develop a business plan, manage it, and by using innovative methods such as study tours, story telling (“How I Did It”) and games.
3. Micro Enterprise Loan Program: TVP offers three different types of loans with 3% to 10% interest and loan durations up to two years. Loans include: (1) $500 to $1,500 for individual borrowers that have home-based businesses and do not normally require a storefront, (2) $1,600 - $3,000 for small businesses (TVP’s main focus) in villages and townships where peoples’ prime source of income is derived from these small businesses, and (3) Enterprise loans up to $10,000 for more serious businesses in towns, county seats and cities that supports enterprises in our targeted areas. Please see our Loan Program Summary page for details.
How is TVP’s Loan Program Different? People often use terms such as microloan, microfinance and microcredit interchangeably to describe different small loan programs. While TVP has been inspired by Grameen Bank, and other leading lending institutions, our loan program does not fit the characteristics of the traditional microfinance program; it differs in several key factors.
Program
Loan Size
Interest
Method
Target
Traditional Microfinance
$200 or less
Up to 35%
Loan handled by a lending institution
Poorest of the poor $2 or less per day
Micro Enterprise Loan of TVP
$2,500
3% to 10%
Loan handled by members of local communities
Entrepreneurs with proven success
Enterprise Loan Fund: To cultivate an integrated micro enterprise program that tackles growing economic marginalization, rampant poverty, and cultural collapse, TVP has launched the Enterprise Loan Fund to raise $500,000. This fund will allow TVP to increase its loan capacity from about 10 businesses per year (average loan size of $2,500) to 30 businesses, provide at least two business management trainings and support a few local staff members annually for the next few years. If you are interested in learning more about our program such as past loans, lending procedure and process (Application Package), strategic plan or a specific proposal for a targeted group, please contact us.
By Credit
By Wire Transfer
By Mail
Great Western Bank
2775 Pearl St. Boulder, CO 80302-3811
Account # 154528
Routing #091408734
Tibetan Village Project
10542 Kipling Place
Westminster, CO 80021
TVP’s Social Enterprise Program embodies the old adage, "give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.” Our objective is to alleviate poverty while preserving the Tibetan culture by providing culturally appropriate skills training, business education, and enterprise loans responsibly to assist individuals and families create successful businesses. Many of our loan recipients in rural villages are farmers and nomads who do not have formal education or marketable skills, which are often necessary before starting a business. 
