Country/Region: Ghana, West Africa
Goal: To build a social enterprise focused on bringing investment and creating jobs in the West African agribusiness sector
Status: On-going

Accra, Ghana
August 20th, 2008

This summer, I worked with the Solidity Trade team on a project aimed at developing a product inherent to the African landscape — Ghanaian unrefined shea butter. Unrefined shea butter is a useful product that has several applications in cooking, hair, and skin care. By investing in this product we wanted to address the lack of availability in capital for African farmers and the difficulty to access international markets in a profitable way.

The company’s business model and mission serves a dual purpose:

• Creating jobs in poor areas to alleviate poverty
• Lifting up the economic barriers to give access to international markets

To learn more about our organization, please visit the official website: www.soliditytrade.com

Country/Region: Seoul, Korea
Status: Completed

The Global HR Forum 2007 “Global Talent, Global Properity!”
October 23 to 25, 2007

This premier three-day event was held under the central theme of “HR Solutions for the Next Generation,” an opening venue for the exchange of in-depth information and discussions on future HR strategies and visions. The conference brought together global leaders from the public and private sector who are committed to upgrading the quality of human resources and generating sustainable growth for the global economy.

Of particular highlight, participants were able to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures of the East and West to build a wide-reaching network for the development and utilization of global talents. In a Keynote Address the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, spoke of his humanitarian work and the William J. Clinton Foundation in its efforts to promote and address international causes, such as treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS and global warming.

A few notable sessions included:

• The “Korea, the Middle-East and Africa-International HR Meeting” session held by various ministers hailing from Sudan, Egypt, Dubai, and Tunisia addressed the stereotypes associated with Middle-Eastern and African labor and how to remain competitive in a global context by shifting countries from oil-based economies to knowledge-based economies.
• The “Globalization, Foreign Workers, and the Impact on Homogenous Countries” session discussed how Korea has maintained its identity as a homogenous country for a very long time. However, with the aging population and the reluctant young population to take up jobs in 3D (Dirty, Dangerous, Difficult) sectors, in addition to the immigration pressure created by the wage difference in comparison to Korea’s surrounding developing countries led to Korea’s “foreign workers program” started in 1991. In 2007, Korea is launching the “permanent residence program” for semi-skilled workers to fill the increasing shortage of labour. Meanwhile, international marriages between Koreans and foreigners are the phenomenon of the decade which have shocked Koreans whose founding myth has been primordial and homogeneous. Now the population of foreign origin in Korea is reaching 1 million and there is much talk about discrimination, migrant rights, and the development of a multicultural and multi-racial society.

Country/Region: Worldwide
Status: On-Going

Global Advances, LLC is a multinational network of talented web engineers connecting the world through web and media technology – in other words, we are an internet solutions provider specializing in bringing small to medium-size companies to the web and developing applications that accommodate their e-business strategy. Our organizational structure belongs to a new generation of “virtual professionals” working remotely in unison to effectively provide localized consultation on customer needs ranging from branding/design to online marketing. Thanks to the global exposure and experience of our team members, translation, interpretation and cross-cultural education have also become a core part of our business activities. Global Advances was formed in 2003 is officially registered as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in the state of Colorado, USA.

Global Advances also functions as a as a pro-bono organization, helping Non-Profits to establish their web presence and promote their purpose through online media. To learn more, please visit the official website at: www.globaladvances.com

In April, Global Advances was featured in the second official newsletter of the Blacks in Asia organization (BIA) www.blacksinasia.org. The issue can be download here in pdf format.

• BIA’s goal is to highlight, celebrate and explore not only the African-American community in Asia, but also the thriving African and Afro-Caribbean communities; expanding our understanding of the lives of blacks now in Asia.
• BIA’s aim is to present the governmental, historical, cultural, political, commercial and tourist areas within Asia, and to serve as a hub for the exchange of ideas between people looking at Asia, for business, travel, scholarships, news, and other aspects.