We decided to support Sunrise + because it perfectly represents the connection between our entrepreneurial spirit and the desire of young people to create new small businesses . Furthermore, it integrates an important component of training and community building which, through Eco Clubs and educational opportunities, can offer young people a future far from drug trafficking and crime.
Eco Clubs: training and community for young people
During my meetings with the Ecological Clubs, I was struck by the motivation of these young people: they want to protect the environment by building communities and already have a long-term perspective, including in helping others. The Ecological Clubs play a fundamental role, 
because they keep them engaged and offer them new perspectives in a context where it’s easy to be drawn into organized crime.
Protecting nature means ensuring a more stable future, both in terms of food and safety from extreme weather events. The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the two meetings with groups of young people who want to start small businesses. But everyone else also left me with something to take home.
Young people’s entrepreneurial projects
The first group, selling home-cooked chicken, underwent extensive training on various topics related to starting a business — such as accounting, marketing, and business planning — and is already a well-structured and detailed project. I found a realistic business plan and a vision already focused on future development, including a desire to help other young people with their business ideas. Their strengths are the lack of a similar business in the area, which leaves room for an interesting potential market, and the knowledge gained during the training, combined with their strong desire to succeed.
My only concern concerns group management: starting a business with so many members can pose challenges in terms of coexistence and organization. This is why it’s essential to establish a clear contract and company bylaws, with precise rules, to protect the business in the long term. I sensed a certain immaturity, but I’m confident they will grow with the project.
With the second group, I found a more mature, serious, and well-structured company, with a strong identity and a very interesting story to tell. They’re ready to embark on the adventure of bringing their chocolate directly to the market. The only unknown factor is the difficulty of selling the product, but with the right branding, good packaging, and adequate market training, they can achieve excellent results. The young people need to learn to better understand market demand and leverage their story to create a complete brand and product. This can be challenging because they don’t know the various realities outside of Ecuador.
Training as the key to success
In short, I’ve observed tremendous enthusiasm among the young people and a tremendous amount of support from AMU. This is essential to prepare them for the market and allow them to compete with their own ideas. 
Financial results may not come immediately, but I’m sure that if they follow the advice they received during the training, they can achieve great success, help the community, and become an example for other young people.
I think AMU’s work in the local area is fantastic, because it truly connects with the communities and their needs, listening to them without imposing anything. It’s crucial—I’d say indispensable—to continue collaborating with local organizations, local politicians, and other NGOs. Only with everyone’s collaboration can we truly change the situation and people’s mindsets, especially young people.
Personally, the days spent in the province of Esmeraldas with you and the young people have given me renewed energy, especially an energy that drives me even more to continue with all the projects we support and will support in the future. Furthermore, it has made me reflect on the Economy of Communion and how necessary it is to push for “advertising” and create more networking between companies, especially in Italy.
Thank you so much again for this wonderful opportunity, and I hope I’ve been of some help, at least a little.
Simone Nodari, entrepreneur