Global Brigades is an international non-profit that empowers communities to meet their health and economic goals through university volunteers and local teams.

Consult Micro-enterprises Abroad

Business volunteers participate in 7-day brigades in Panama, Greece, Belize or Ghana (8-days). Volunteers facilitate financial literacy workshops and provide consulting to micro-enterprises on topics ranging from marketing to accounting.

Volunteer Activities

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Strengthen Community-Owned Banks

In Panama, volunteers provide capacity building workshops to the leaders of the community banks to increase membership, improve operations, and identify lower risk borrowers. Volunteers help add member savings accounts and ensure high repayment rates on loans.

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Teach Financial Literacy

Volunteers conduct workshops financial planning to members of the community bank and other small business owners. Volunteers increase financial literacy around a culture of savings and prudent borrowing. Businesses that are seeking capital can work with volunteers to develop a payment plan and decide if it’s beneficial to take a loan.

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Consult Small Businesses

Volunteers utilize business consulting frameworks to identify opportunities for increased income and resolve financial challenges of small rural businesses (Panama, Belize, Ghana) or small businesses owned by migrants and refugees (Greece). Volunteers help small businesses decide on the feasibility of utilizing low-interest loans or creating a savings strategy to reach their economic goals.

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Provide Capital for Loans

For Panama, each chapter raises a minimum of $1,500 that is directly invested to capitalize the community bank. These funds are the lifeblood of the bank, utilized for matching savings accounts and low-interest loans. The goal is to ensure access to capital for new businesses, access to higher education, and other community projects.

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Learn about the different Brigades within each country

Panama

Panama
Greece

Greece
Ghana

Ghana

Partnership with Consulting Firms

GBB proudly partners with Top Consulting Firms to increase impact on brigades! Professional consultants provide pre-trip mentorship to our university volunteers to ensure higher quality business guidance for the community members while providing our students with valuable career insight.

For more information on getting pre-trip mentorship, please contact your Program Associate.