International Development Collaborative

MISSION

The mission of IDC is to encourage and assist in the creation of sustainable entrepreneurial micro-enterprises in rural villages of developing countries.  IDC will act as a facilitator and provide rural villages the opportunity to sell their products on an international scale.  The overall social objective of IDC is to assist villagers in the economic development of their communities and to raise the standard of living in rural villages.


OUR STORY                           

The formation of IDC was sparked by a March 2008 expedition to the Altiplano region of Bolivia. Ten graduate students and two professors at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business examined market-based economic development principles and tools in the classroom and then traveled to Bolivia to experience the application of those tools in an emerging economy. One of the goals of the expedition was to establish an ongoing relationship with impoverished Bolivian communities.

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The Experience

In Bolivia, we visited three villages: Hilalta Arribe, Muruamaya and Chacoma. In each village, we were graciously greeted with excitement - a ceremony of music, handshakes and kisses. The Aymara (one of the indigenous societies of Bolivia) welcomed us into their communities and shared their plans and ideas about education and business opportunities. We listened, observed and tried to understand their opportunities within the context of their lives in Bolivia, being clear that we were there to collaborate with them, not to impose our ideas. Our hope was to combine our perspectives and knowledge to develop the best outcomes. Whatever these opportunities would be, they needed to be sustainable. Well-intentioned opportunities that cannot be sustained by the communities may do more harm than good.

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In Chacoma, we worked side-by-side with the villagers to finish a school building for the vocational school. One of the highlights of the visit to Chacoma was being "Villagers for a Day". We stayed overnight in Chacoma and awoke to rooster crows to begin a day in the shoes of the villagers. We literally did the work of the villagers - digging potatoes, milking cows and sheering wool. The experience gave us a deeper appreciation for the difficult, yet peaceful, lives the villagers lead.

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During our visit to Muruamaya, the villagers asked us for help in identifying potential opportunities within their existing agriculture, dairy farming and textiles operations. We broke into groups and spent the day in discussions exploring and learning from one another. The founders of IDC met specifically with the women's textiles group in Muruamaya, called Suma-Qura. For the women of Suma-Qura, their time spent weaving together is a way to support one another and build friendships while producing hand-woven textile garments for sale in Bolivian markets. The women wanted to understand their opportunities to grow their business.

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The Opportunity

After spending hours talking with the women of Suma-Qura about their operations and the market conditions in the region, we quickly realized that the Bolivian markets where the women sell are saturated and return little profit. The textiles produced in rural Bolivian communities were virtually undifferentiated (although of high quality) from each other. The point of differentiation for these particular women was their newly developed relationship with The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. The key was how we would leverage that point of differentiation. Thus began our journey to connect the women of rural communities with The Ohio State University market through officially licensed "Block O" alpaca wool scarves . If we could create this alternative market, the women could significantly improve the standard of living for their families. The communities in rural Bolivia typically subsist on less than $2 a day per individual.

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The Impact

We were each deeply impacted and changed in various ways as a result of our experience in Bolivia. Unexpectedly, we were not saddened by the poverty we witnessed. Rather, we were inspired and in awe of the beautiful lives the Aymara lead. They are happy people despite the hardships they face. They may be poor in monetary and physical possessions, but they are wealthy in the sense of community and peace.

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We were inspired to bring back to the United States the peace and presence we felt in Bolivia.  The lifelong friendships that were forged and the sense of community we created have been immense blessings. The experience has given us better perspective in which to evaluate our life decisions - from careers, to education, to how we spend free time. We have been forever changed by this experience. Upon our return from Bolivia, four of us, Huda Ahmed, Amy Chin, Jackie Davis, and Ben VanBuskirk, founded IDC. We can only hope that our efforts through IDC will bring such a lasting and deep impact for the people in Muruamaya and beyond.

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STAFF

Benjamin D. VanBuskirk, CEO and Chairman

Benjamin D. VanBuskirk is CEO for IDC.  His previous experience includes working for Hewlett Packard where he worked in sales and network support.  He moved to Cleveland and began work at Forest Corporation in sales, marketing and product development.  Ben now works as a Financial and Business Analyst for USA Energy Advisors.  In addition he is a Co-Founder of a bio-tech company, Arteriovations.  Ben received his undergraduate degree in Finance from Ohio University.  He received his Masters in Business Administration from The Ohio State University, where he focused on strategy and entrepreneurship. Ben received the Pace Setter and Fisher Global Service awards in 2009 from The Ohio State University

Email: ben.vanbuskirk@idcvillage.org
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Huda M. Ahmed, General Counsel and Director

Huda is currently an associate attorney at the law firm Buckley King where she practices in the area of Corporate law and Business litigation. Previously, she has worked in the legal departments of BMW Financial Services, Ohio Housing Finance Agency and The Ohio State University Department of Legal Affairs. She received her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where her coursework focused on corporate law and corporate governance. Huda recently completed her MBA from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business where she focused on strategy.

Email: huda.ahmed@idcvillage.org
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Eric C. Brummett, Director

Eric's experience started as a small business loan underwriter for National City Bank in Indianapolis. He moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 2005 to serve as an Asset Manager with Fifth Third Community Development Corporation (CDC). During his time at Fifth Third CDC, Eric was a part of a three-person team that managed a $500 million tax credit investment portfolio, which included affordable housing, historic rehabilitation and commercial real estate projects. In 2007, Eric transitioned out of the banking industry by accepting a Real Estate Analyst position at DSW, Inc. where he still works today.

Eric recently completed his MBA at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business where he focused on Finance. His educational accomplishments also include undergraduate degrees in Finance and International Studies from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University.

Email: eric.brummett@idcvillage.org
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Amy D. Chin, Director

Amy is currently an associate with Nationwide Investments in the Enterprise Portfolio Management group focused on client relationship and administration services. Prior to joining Nationwide in 2006, Amy was an associate with Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group in the Strategic Sourcing practice, working with Fortune 500 companies to achieve sourcing and supply chain cost savings.

Amy holds a BS in Finance and a BS in Marketing from Miami University and an MBA from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.

Email: amy.chin@idcvillage.org
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OUR OBJECTIVES

 

Short-Term:

  • - Sell officially licensed Ohio State University alpaca wool scarves to direct and indirect customers.

  • - Improve the standard of living for the people in rural villages by fostering a micro-enterprise for the women to hand-weave
      scarves.

  • - Continue to refine our business model to ensure that the micro-enterprises with which IDC works are sustainable.

  • - Strengthen our relationships with our business partners in Bolivia.

  • - Broaden our relationships by reaching out to community leaders, The Ohio State University faculty, local businesses and
      other non-profit organizations.

 

 

Long-Term:

  • - Continue to fulfill IDC's mission of "Improving the standard of living, one village at a time" by expanding IDC's product 
      offering and by incorporating more rural villages.

  • - Develop and maintain lasting relationships with the people of the rural communities that are operating the micro-
      enterprises with which we will work.

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FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION (FLA) AFFILIATE


IDC makes an active effort to support fair labor and workplace standards as an affiliate of the Fair Labor Association (FLA).  IDC is a Category C FLA affiliate. FLA affiliated companies make a commitment to develop a rigorous program that includes implementing the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct (viewable online at http://www.fairlabor.org/conduct) and monitoring to ensure that any violations are identified, addressed and corrected.  Our efforts in this regard must meet FLA standards for disclosure and long term improvement. Companies affiliated with the FLA are placed in categories based on their revenue as well as on their licensing and supply relationship with FLA universities who produce and sell materials with a collegiate logo. As an affiliate, IDC makes a sustained corporate commitment to implement socially responsible programs, generally, and the FLA Code of Conduct, specifically.

 

For more information on the FLA, visit:  http://www.fairlabor.org/about

 

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