Grant no. 519-0352-A-00-8239-00 : cooperative agreement between the US Agency for International Development and the Council for International Development to provide support for the development of private sector enterprises in the eastern region of El Salvador

The Council for International Development (CID), as implementing agency, will strengthen the capacity of the Salvadoran Coordinating Committee for the Development of the Eastern Region (COMCORDE) to provide management training and other services to Eastern Region enterpreneurs. To strengthen COMCORDE"s operational capacity, CID will hold 1-3 day training workshops for COMCORDE"s Board of Directors and approximately 20 administrative and extension personnel. The workshops will cover, inter alia: strategic planning, financial management, project appraisal and evaluation, values clarification, reporting, accounting, conflict resolution, supply management, handicraft marketing, quality control, and motivation techniques. In addition, selected CID staff members and directors will visit third-country institutions working in the fields of small-scale credit, informal sector development, and export development. Finally, CID will provide TA in: preparing organizational policies, procedures, manuals, and stategic planning documents; monitoring of project resources; and evaluation techniques. CID assistance will reinforce the program of activities currently carried out by COMCORDE, particularly in the areas of establishing commercial linkages between Eastern Region entrepreneurs and medium and large companies elsewhere in El Salvador, helping beneficiaries determine their financing needs and submit properly documented loan applications, identifying business opportunities, conducting feasibility studies, and providing management training. Project targets are: 12 feasibility studies, 50 small enterprise business assessments, 450 loan applications, and management training for 400 entrepreneurs.