www.encorps.org

	En´Corps! International, Inc.
	Creating Self-Sustaining Micro-Enterprise - Fighting Deforestation!
EnCorps International Is a Non-Profit Corporation Our Mission Our Vision Solar Oven Assembly Plants The Global Sun Ovens The Villager Sun Ovens Contact Us: EnCorps International Colorado Springs, CO PH: (719) 481-6228 Fax: (719) 487-8243	M i c r o - S u n - B a k e r i e s Creating Self-Sustaining, Self-Propagating Micro-Enterprise Mission The purpose of this program is to alleviate poverty and enhance the quality of life throughout selected third-world countries by empowering the hard working poor to raise their standard of living through self-sustaining micro-enterprise. This enterprise will utilize the ultimate renewable resource - sunshine, to cost-effectively provide a needed food staple while combating the destructive forces of deforestation, working to decrease desertification and alleviating the leading cause of lung disease among women. Objectives Establish Micro-Sun-Bakeries in selected third-world countries during the years 2001-2010 Use a portion of the proceeds from the initial Micro-Sun-Bakeries to fund expansion into additional locations on a self-propagating basis Teach local nationals to empower themselves through the establishment of self-sustaining micro-bakeries Establish hundreds of new locally-owned businesses in selected third-world countries which would utilize training, technology and equipment provided by NGO's, businesses, and donations Use the non-polluting energy of the sun to prevent further deforestation from creating continuing irreparable ecological destruction Employ 13 to 18 people at each bakery location Create employment for over 5,000 people by 2010 Acquaint nationals with the environmentally friendly concept of solar cooking Improve the general health of women and children by eliminating significant amounts of the smoke that they customarily have in their eyes and lungs while cooking and baking Reduce the time-consuming task of searching for and collecting wood for cooking and baking fires, done mostly by women and children, which places them at increased risk for accidents, rape and abuse.

Process
Using supervisory personnel from reputable organizations already resident in third-world countries, identify  "entrepreneurs" from local villages to establish bakeries (five at a time, but in different locations). Each bakery will utilize a large commercial solar oven (VILLAGER SUN OVEN) to bake bread, cakes, and pastries for sale in a specified geographic region. These entrepreneurs will be trained in basic business management skills and specific solar bakery management techniques.
Work with each entrepreneur to:
1. Develop a customized marketing and distribution plan for their region.
2. Establish and monitor cash flow and profit objectives for their location(s).
3. Outline a growth plan to allow an increase in sales and profits.
4. Develop appropriate human resource policies that will enable the bakery employees to improve their standard of living.

Equipment

Each bakery will be equipped with a VILLAGER SUN OVEN that will reach temperatures in excess of 500° F / 260° C. This oven is specifically designed for third-world bakery operations and has an effective life of at least 20 years. It comes equipped with a propane back up system, which allows it to be utilized at night or during the rainy season. Each location will be equipped with a 150-piece Micro-Sun-Bakery package, which includes: 108 durable bread pans, 20 cake pans, 6 flat pans, 2 heavy duty rolling pins, 1 large oven peel, 2 dough scrapers, 6 hot pads, 1 rugged insect-proof flour bin, 1 wire whip and 2 large mixing bowls.  The VILLAGER SUN OVEN is patented and manufactured by Sun Ovens International.

Sustainable Accomplishments
The Micro-Sun Bakery business plan will conservatively allow (within 10 years) an initial investment for 25 Micro-Sun-Bakeries, to grow to accomplish the following:
- Have Micro-Sun-Bakeries operating in over 300 locations.
- Create 300 new businesses which will be owned by local nationals.
- Have created over 5,000 paying jobs for needy persons.
- Be generating annual gross revenue of over $10,000,000 for newly created businesses.
- Generate total (10 year) gross revenue of over $300,000,000.
- Baked 3,000,000,000 loaves of fresh bread.
- Have saved a total of over 20,000,000 tons of firewood.
- Acquaint hundreds of thousands of people with the concept of solar cooking.
- Generate over $15,000,000 towards the self-propagation of more micro-enterprise sun-bakeries.
- Helped to reduce the incidence of lung and eye diseases among women and children.
- Helped to alleviate dangerous & time consuming chores of finding & collecting wood by women & children.
- Helped to reduce the harmful effects on our atmosphere, of the smoke from thousands of wood burning fires.

 Program Description

The Micro-Sun-Bakery Program will establish, equip, train, and implement self-sustaining bakery enterprises in selected countries during 2001- 2010. Each of these bakeries will employ 13 to 18 people to prepare, bake, sell, and deliver goods, which have been baked in a solar oven. Over a ten-year period these bakeries will SELF-FUND GROWTH to enable expansion to a total of over 300 Micro-Sun-Bakeries throughout surrounding countries by the year 2010.  Each Micro-Sun-Bakery will fill the need for fresh, locally prepared bread and other baked goods.  Currently, bread must be delivered to rural areas from larger cities. This delivery increases the cost of the bread. Due to the distance of the bread makers from rural villages, there are days when bread is not delivered and the bread is typically not fresh. The bakeries will be located in the market area that they serve; this will reduce the delivery expense and allow fresher baked goods to be provided to the consumer. The closer location of the bakeries to the markets served and the use of the sun as the primary fuel source should allow baked goods to be sold to the ultimate consumer for 25% less than the current prices.

Each bakery can provide baked goods for up to 250 families. The proposed bakeries will be able to be located in areas that will have a need for baked goods without posing a serious threat to any established bakery operations. The jobs that will be created will help the local economy of the villages in which each bakery is located, by keeping more money in the local area. The primary source of energy will be the sun. These micro-enterprises will be able to function regardless of power availability. Electric mixers will be utilized when power is available; hand mixers will be on hand to allow for dough and batter preparation when power is not available.

If deforestation is not reversed, there is little hope that negative environmental and economic trends that have restrained growth can be reversed.  A major environmental rehabilitation and reconstruction process must begin immediately.  This process cannot begin if every tree that is planted is not allowed to grow to maturely.  When people are taught to use the solar resource they have in abundance, other positive environmental and economic changes will be effective. The Micro-Sun-Bakery Program will combine training and business development to provide solutions to the growing problems of deforestation and global warming through economic empowerment. Every tree that is allowed to remain in place will help future generations. Every person who gains entrepreneurial expertise will contribute to improving the quality of life for themselves and the greater community of their country.  Deforestation is the gravest environmental crisis facing the world today.  Its far reaching effects include: * The decreasing availability of firewood * Removing the trees from an area is to remove its source of life.  * Forests protect the soil against erosion and reduce the risks of landslides and avalanches. * Forests increase the rate that rainwater recharges groundwater as well as control the rate that water is released in watersheds, helping sustain freshwater supplies. * Forests affect the climate. The occurrence and strength of floods and droughts increase when they are eliminated.  * Forests are an important source of oxygen. * Forests store large amounts of carbon that are released when trees are cut or burned.

The single biggest threat to many third world countries ability to grow and prosper is deforestation.  The demands of massive population growth, and the inefficient conversion of wood to charcoal, have outstripped the forest’s ability to regenerate. Science strongly supports the fact that deforestation is changing weather patterns, causing soil erosion, and depleting plant and animal life. Currently much of the baking, in the third world is done in ovens that are fueled by charcoal. The inefficient conversion of wood to charcoal is one of the leading causes of the ever-growing deforestation problems. The use of an oven powered by the sun will allow for enormous volumes of baked goods to be prepared without further damaging the already fragile environment.  In the cities, gas is used to power ovens, and utilizing the free energy of the sun will help to decrease the need to import cooking gas and will contribute in a positive way to the country’s balance of trade.

OPPORTUNITY:

We currently have several requests and opportunities to cooperate with resident charitable/aid/mission/relief/environmental organizations involved in such areas as feeding programs, orphanages, resident schools, hospitals, churches, refugee aid, housing for the homeless, women's issues, deforestation, clean-air issues and more. They will assist us in the coordination and setup of these micro-enterprises. What we need are the finances. We could start Micro-Sun-Bakeries within 3 months in places such as Brazil, or Kenya, or Ghana, in the Dominican Republic, or Haiti, or Honduras, or Ethiopia and many more places that we haven't even contacted yet. There is REAL NEED, and REAL OPPORTUNITY!

Here, a poor farmer has become an "entrepreneur" in opening the family Micro-Sun-Bakery. They will be able to earn a living significantly above what they had been able to "scratch out" of the acre of soil and the few garden vegetables they have.

Investment:  Each of the Micro-Sun-Bakery packages, including shipping, initial training and setup, will cost approximately $35,000. That is a small price to pay when factored against the immense benefits of feeding hungry people, curtailing deforestation, and improving the health and economic conditions of women and children.  The scale of economies would be enhanced with the establishment of at least five (5) Micro-Sun-Bakeries at a time within a country. Your donations for this project can be fully tax deductible.  Contact us for information. We would even consider you going along (if you wish) with the training team to help establish "your" Micro-Sun-Bakery to give you a first-hand experience in this valuable and needed program. Or perhaps, you would like to put together a small "team" of friends who would want to finance 2 or more Micro-Sun-Bakeries, and go as a team with our trainers, to help set-up and train.

One of the many Villager Sun Ovens purchased and donated by the Rotary Club of Naperville, Illinois. They, along with the other Rotary Clubs of Rotary District 6450 have started a major drive of support for solar cooking and the use of renewable resources, called “The Temple Solar  Project." This project has placed more than 40 Micro-Sun-Bakeries on 3 continents. You and/or your organization can also purchase and place Micro-Sun-Bakeries in dozens of needy places around the world. There are needy places with deserving poor people ready to be trained and ready to work harder than most of us would ever consider - work to lift themselves and their families out of the grasp of poverty!

For more information on the Micro-Sun-Bakery projects,
please email:  EnCorps@att.net

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