Welcome, Alain Cardenas, to the Mentors International Family.
Alain was recently hired as our first employee in Venezuela. He has been serving as a volunteer mentor with us for several years. He will represent Mentors International and help us organize our efforts in Venezuela. In addition, Alain will help us accelerate the work under the direction of our Country Director, Ralph Cabeza, in Peru.
Mentors International has been virtually serving the people in Venezuela for the last four years.
Venezuelans have access to the internet, but it is not consistent and not super reliable due to the poor infrastructure and the economic problems this country faces. Through a partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Mentors International is able to hold training classes at church buildings where the internet is more reliable.
Over the last two years, we have trained 72 participants in our various programs. Unfortunately, it has been hit-and-miss with finding new participants. Now that we have a program manager physically in this country, we anticipate significant increases.
Mentors International will be providing group business mentoring and individual personalized mentoring. We also are providing our Keystone Personal Development course. With Alain in the country, we plan to increase the number of business and vocational training programs we can provide to these deserving communities in Venezuela.
