At Yachana Technical High School students are learning to be entrepreneurs capable of identifying needs and creating economic solutions for themselves, their families and their communities.  In addition to the work that they do in the micro-enterprise productive area, they are learning all aspects of how a company is created and managed.  Students are assigned roles as managers and work together to make decisions about the mission and vision of the organizations they create.  They formulate objectives, manage production, inventories and accounting and are responsible for running a profitable business.  Any proceeds generated by the sale of their products are reinvested into the education program at the school.
 
Thanks to an organization called Achievers International, Yachana Technical High School has been paired with a school in the UK and our students are now exporting the traditional handicrafts they make for distribution through the other school’s micro-enterprise program.  This is giving all of the participating students a more global perspective and experience by doing business in another culture and language. 

As Yachana strives to achieve sustainability, the micro-enterprise becomes a key component of our success.  By working with several government ministries including the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environment in addition to municipal and provincial government officials, we are supplying low energy computers, water filters and other products like solar panels and rechargeable lamps to people living at the base of the economic pyramid.  The distribution of these products also provides solutions for schools and organizations working in rural areas of Ecuador.  Through product sales, business opportunities are created for community members and Yachana students alike.