Graduates Development Program

2021
Last year's project overview

Netherlands • 2021

Hello everyone! The last couple of months we have been very busy searching for a nice project. The constantly changing corona measures didn’t make it any easier for us. But we did it, we found an interesting project and partner and we are very excited to announce it to you! This year, the Graduates Development […]

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Graduates Development Program • Home

Since 2013, the Graduates Development Program has offered a group of 15 students from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam the possibility to go on a volunteering trip in developing countries to share their knowledge with local entrepreneurs. The aim of this program is to help these entrepreneurs grow their business by improving their business plans and knowledge. Thereby we have contributed to the development of local communities and long-term success of local businesses. During this program, we will work closely with a local partner to ensure continuity and to meet the demands of the local community.

We are busy looking at all the possibilities and are making contact with various potential project partners, both in Europe and in the Netherlands. As no one can predict what COVID-19 will bring us next year, we are working with different scenarios. By doing so, we will hopefully be able to set up a nice project, regardless of the measures taken.

The Graduates Development Program 2021!

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Blogs

  • 30 companies
  • 6 different countries

Upcoming events

GDP Online beerpubquiz

What: Online beerpubquiz When: 7th of April 8:30 PM Who: Everyone How: Online Hi everyone! On the 7th of April 8:30 PM, the first fundraising event of the Graduates Development Program 2021 will take place! Do you miss going out, having drinks with friends and the clubbing areas of Amsterdam as much as we do? In this online beerpubquiz we will relive all of this in a fun and interactive way. Will you be the person knowing the most about beer, the best clubs of Amsterdam and the wildest music they play in those clubs? Sign up for this FREE beerpubquiz in order to join our amazing event and maybe you will win a suitable price! [gravityform id="245" title="true" description="true"]

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Previous projects

Jamaica • 2020

What: GDP 2020
When: July 4, 2020 – July 26, 2020
Who: 3rd year Bachelor and Master Students
Where: Jamaica

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Kampala, Uganda • 2019

What is the project about? Food and income are the basic needs of every household. In Uganda, agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy, employing over 70% of the population. However, the income distribution is extremely unfair, causing many of the farmers to live in poverty. This in combination with poor agricultural practices, low […]

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Haut Bay, South Africa • 2018

The Graduates Development Program of 2018 went to South-Africa to help local entrepreneurs develop their business. The Graduates Development Program was a unique experience. Working together with 15 students, organizing a lot of events to raise money and eventually going to South-Africa for three weeks where you work closely together with local entrepreneurs. You can […]

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Swaziland, Ezulwini Valley • 2017

The Graduates Development Program of 2017 went to Swaziland to help local businesses develop. Our projects consisted of helping entrepreneurs with their bookkeeping, helping a social enterprise with its product development to set up a microfinance project at our partnering NGO. The team raised over €20K of funds through participating in events, organizing our own […]

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Bocas del Toro, Panama • 2016

About the project In July 2016, a group of fifteen students from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam will travel to Bocas del Toro, Panama, to support local indigenous communities by sharing knowledge in the fields of business and economics. The aim of this program is to help these communities develop economically by improving their current activities […]

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Stone Town, Zanzibar • 2015

In association with the NPO Khaya volunteer project, in 2015 a GDP team set up a project in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It entails helping local entrepreneurs with students business knowledge. Committee Sophie Houtenbos Stijn van der Weyden Ludmila Gräfin von Thun-Hohenstein Lisanne Pistorius Feroz Amirkhan Participants Emilie Berkhout Marleen Biesjot Tom van Vliet Rohit Shah […]

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