Founded in 1992 to create employment for women in rural communities across Swaziland, Gone Rural sells beautifully crafted baskets made from locally grown sustainable natural fibers called lutindzi. The company employs approx. 700 women in rural communities across Swaziland, creating sustainable income for these women. Gone Rural has a sustainable development component which acts as [...]

We arrived in Swaziland on July 30th after what seemed like a never-ending journey. With twelve hours to spare in Paris, myself and Dana, one of the other MBAs, decided to venture into the city. We did what you do in Paris: ate crepes and enjoyed a nice glass of wine. From Paris we flew [...]

Ellen is founder and executive director of Friends of Tilonia, Inc. which takes its name from Tilonia, a small village in the desert regions of Rajasthan, India that is home of the Barefoot College. Working in conjunction with the Barefoot College, Ellen has developed an online store, Tilonia.com, for the sale of artisan-crafted home furnishings, produced by nearly 400 artisans in villages where the Barefoot College currently works.

Rebecca graduated from Stanford University in 2002 with a B.A. in Economics and received her MBA from UCLA Anderson, specializing in Strategy and Entrepreneurship. During Rebecca’s second year at Anderson, she worked with FINCA International to develop a Customer Relationship Management Strategy (sponsored by UCLA Anderson’s Center for International Business and Economic Research, CIBER).

There is lots of work to do, but I count on the support of all the wonderful people who work for the complex, and their love for what they are doing in creating businesses who will help communities to improve their life conditions and create a sustainable source of development for the country.