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Jan Van Bilsen
Bambucasa
Bambucasa uses sustainable techniques to harvest bamboo and convert it into affordable building materials for both the high and low-ends of the housing market. Nicaragua has an estimated deficiency of over 500,000 homes for a rapidly-growing, young population, a pressure which could be alleviated by the readily-available supply of bamboo as a reliable and inexpensive building material.
Click here to see the location of Bambucasa
Consulting Focus:
When Jan came to Agora after winning TechnoServe's Idea Tu Empresa business plan competition, Bambucasa was challenged by a lack of business management expertise and working capital. With no formal business training or prior experience, Jan needed to become familiar with the nuances of bamboo procurement and learn to manage a diverse staff of various skilled and unskilled workers. Agora helped Jan to outline critical milestones to achieve in order to address these barriers.
"I filmed the whole political history and tragedy of Latin America over the last 25 years… After all this, I decided to really do something about it: building with nature's gifts, for the people who really deserve a better life. So I combine the power of nature—in this case the natural strength and beauty of Bamboo Guadua—with the desire to do something about the housing shortage."
"I filmed the whole political history and tragedy of Latin America over the last 25 years… After all this, I decided to really do something about it"
“I know all about filming, I am a ‘pro’ in this respect. On business matters, I could use "a little help from my friends." After more than a year with [Agora], I consider them more as friends who share my passion and vision, than as the usual 'business guys'."
“The guys in the village next to my farm were making $1 a day, and that’s when they could find work. I offered them a consistent salary and trained them in bamboo treatment and construction... I trained them, prepared them, and taught them how to use bamboo as a building material. Now they are a solid, highly motivated team, with good skills, good salaries, and a long-term perspective on how to get out of poverty through training and learning skills... The success of the business is key to all of this. If we can't make the business side work, none of the change we hope for is going to happen. That's why an organization like Agora is essential.” – Jan Van Bilsen
For more information on Bambucasa's work in Nicaragua, please read the profile in the 2007 Social Impact Report