SPEAKER TOUR IGNITES LEADERSHIP DURING GLOBAL DIASPORA WEEK

Montreal, Toronto – During Global Diaspora Week taking place from October 12 – 18, three Latin American entrepreneurs and leaders will undertake a speaking tour to share their experiences and knowledge about the importance of developing Southern export markets to nurture livelihoods and create sustainable communities.

The tour will visit Montreal and Toronto and is part of a partnership with Cuso International and the Coady International Institute in Nova Scotia which sees leaders from the Global South travel to Canada to participate in a three-week leadership and professional development course at the Coady International Institute based in Nova Scotia.

This tour provides an incredible opportunity for these Latin American entrepreneurs to meet with Hispanic business leaders and community members, development experts and others interested in leveraging markets to enable sustainable livelihoods and communities around the globe.

The tour’s speakers include: Marilu Yvonne Del Aguila Garcia from Peru, tourism chief at the San Martin Regional Office in the Department of Commerce and Tourism; Daniel Maydana Choque from Bolivia, who works as a commercial specialist with the Community Partnership for the Commercialization of Vicuña Fibre; and Juana Villareyna Acuna from Nicaragua, a project manager for the Foundation for Women in Nicaragua.

The first stop is in Montreal on Tuesday October 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Peruvian Chamber of Commerce. The next stop takes place Thursday October 16 from 12:30 – 1:30 at Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation which is located at 215 Spadina Ave., Suite 120. The third and final stop will be on Thursday October 16 from 5:30 – 10 p.m. at the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and will be a part of the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Vision Showcase Awards.

Since March of 2011, Cuso International and the Coady International Institute, which is based at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, have partnered with social entrepreneurs in Latin America. This year twelve leaders from the Global South took part in the Coady program. Cuso International is a premier sponsor of the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Vision Showcase Awards to recognize these select Latin American partners and to introduce them to Canada’s largest Hispanic community.

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