The Micro-Grant Mentorship Project

Changemaker: Jillian Skonieczka

Country of implementation: Laos

In the mountainous, ethnically diverse, largely agrarian, and communist country of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, or Laos, there is a burgeoning demand for well-informed and experienced professionals who possess technical competencies, transferable skills from experience, and who can effectively engage with a diverse body of local and international stakeholders during a time of high economic inflation and increased integration into the global economy. Despite most private sector employment revolving around skill, a lack of comprehensive professional development opportunities available to Lao youth and young professionals persists, which critically hinders their professional development and ability to fully engage civically and economically. To bridge this gap, Jillian Skonieczka and her co-founder, Doan Khue Tran, developed the Micro-Grant Mentorship Project (MMP), a two-pronged, localized community development project aimed at empowering Lao youth and young professionals with the training, forum, opportunity, experience, mentorship, confidence, and skills needed to design, implement, and secure funding for community development projects through practical skills in English grant writing. Through a two-day, interactive training on project conception and initiation, grant writing, and project pitching for 150 youth and young professionals between the ages of 17-30 in Vientiane, Laos, coupled with ground-level funding, mentorship, and experience in project design and implementation for 10-15 youth micro-grant leaders and teams with our in-person and virtual support, this project will better equip and spur Lao youth to contribute meaningfully to their communities and drive greater sustainable socio-economic development in Laos. 

For more information, visit their website at www.TheMicroGrantMentorshipProject.wordpress.com and join the MMP community on Facebook at www.facebook.com/micrograntmentorship.