With the VNGO money donated by the Social Entrepreneur Corps interns, the Women’s Group was able to print labels for the three different bottle sizes they sell.

It is safe to say that CE Solutions’ busiest months are in June and July. This is the time when we have our Social Entrepreneur Corps interns working with us. During these months, the participants have the chance of winning Virtual NGO (VNGO) money, which they allocate where they see fit to organizations and groups they met and worked with during their internship.

This summer in Ecuador, the interns worked with the Women’s Group of Pulingui in the northern Andean region. The women had a goal to start a natural shampoo business, which could raise funds for their organization and help their community. During the Social Entrepreneur Corps program the interns provided workshops to the women on how to make the shampoo, how to price their products, and ideas on where to sell them. They also provided advice and ideas on the name, labeling and how to maintain their inventory. The women were very excited and motivated to start their business venture, called “Champulingui”.

The interns very generously allocated $245 towards the Women’s Group of Pulingui and their shampoo business. After receiving the donation, the group took a trip to the city of Riobamba to purchase more bottles and formulas for the shampoo. They also ordered different sized labels with the brand’s logo and name “Champulingui” on them.

Members of the Women’s Group of Pulingui making their next batch of shampoo.

Every Monday the association gets together for their weekly meeting, and in this time they also make their shampoo. They make three different kinds: chamomile, rosemary and nettle. So far, the business has been a big success. Many people are interested in the shampoo and the women have already sold out of their first batch! They feel that now they have the label, they will be able to sell more because their product looks more professional. The women also have plans to partner with local travel organizations, which will offer the travel-size bottles of shampoo to tourists visiting the area.