Page 33 - Sustainability and entrepreneurship for CSO's and CSO networks Cambodia 1 November 2018

Case - KESSELSKRAMER
Media company KesselsKramer in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, advertised the Hans Brinker Budget hotel as the worst hotel in the world, clawing that there a bugs in the room, dirty bed sheets, dog shit at the front door.
By reversing the usual hotel propaganda KesselsKramer generated enormous publicity worldwide, and the Hans Brinker hotel became a hype among young travellers.
Hans Brinker since then opened one hotel after the other, still trying to remain the worst hotel in the world
Give your money directly to the people
Criticism on development aid has been there for years: Ineffective, bureaucratic, overestimation of experts, underestimation of complexity, high salaries, big cars and, lately, sexual harassment of local women and children.
Attempts have been made to address these issues, one of them is to give money directly to the poor to avoid donor pressure and overhead costs and to let the money do the work. Experiments are evaluated, and look promising: more investments, better enrolment of children, better nutrition and increased consumption. The plan tallies with the bottom of the pyramid philosophy that poor people may not have much to spend individually but all together they possess impressive purchase power.
For example CCC in Cambodia could, together with the provincial CSO networks, set up a cash revolving fund to directly give money to selected poor communities, without heavy administration, M&E, paid staff, overhead. Such a revolving fund was invented by a team of Bartimeus, the Netherlands in Mali in 2011 and led to an incredible success. See also: https://www.givedirectly.org and:
http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/34861/MWP_WP_Lauer_Lepenies_2015_02.pdf
Case - The lady in the wheelchair
The Association of Handicapped Women in Mali (AMAFH) is headed by a women called GUISSE Zeÿffffefneb (Ina) an entrepreneurial women in a wheelchair who owns two internet cafes in Bamako, a Mercedes Benz and has an incredible amount of energy and optimism. Her network among handicapped (mostly blind) women is enormous. Ina spends most of her time encouraging the handicapped women to dINGOver new opportunities like cooking on foldable sun cookers, making music and starting their own businesses from making soap, shirts, beer etc to growing vegetables. Together with Bartiméus (organisation for the blind in The Netherlands) an innovative grant and credit scheme (revolving fund) was designed to support 45 women with disabilities to start their own business, using structures of traditional savings and credit systems. Within two years all women started profitable businesses while 95% were able to pay back credit in time. Ina continues her business; found a good-looking husband while the music band keeps on playing.
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