The journey of Dixon and the Empuje project

By Children Believe Nicaragua

Dixon is a youth from Nandasmo, a community located in Masaya. Since he was very young he has been quite dynamic and concerned about supporting his mother. With a lot of effort, he managed to finish his studies at school, thanks to his mother who went out to sell in the streets, traditional sweets to be able to give Dixon a little money for his school expenses,

I remember that when I was little I asked my mom what we could sell, that we look for what else we could do,” says Dixonwith a lot of effort he managed to finish his school studies and applied to enter the university opting for a career in industrial engineering, which It was a very difficult stage due to the travel expenses that he incurred. His mother always supported him with what little she could, at that moment Dixon saw the opportunity to sell his mother’s products. Although he comments that he was sorry, which his classmates could say, but he was determined to continue studying and began to sell. The earnings helped him meet his transportation expenses and thus, in all his years of university studies he was able to sell and cover his needs.

“I always say that I am not poor, I know that I have limited resources, but I have a wealth of knowledge and opportunities and that motivates me to keep trying” says Dixon.

Before joining the Empuje project, he was a person who had had his life busy with personal projects, but Empuje made him live new things, meet people and talk to those people. His circle of people was limited by the shyness he felt but he was able to expand the circle of well-known people and it’s had a positive impact on his venture, with the possibility of expanding his sales.

My venture is NUTRIMAX, it consists of the preparation of cereals, and trocantes. The trocantes are typical Nicaraguan sweets that have been made in the family for 10 years. Cereal making is a self-initiative,” shares Dixon.

Nutrimax is a business that he makes together with his mother, she provides the labor, and he is the seller and also the person who looks for suppliers and customers. He is in charge of buying the inputs for the preparation of the products, considering quality and price.

Before Empuje, he already had his clientele, but meeting more people gave his business a greater boost. Through WhatsApp he has a customer contact network built from his participation.

For him, Empuje has been a project to learn and get the most out of the courses he received on: marketing, networking, branding and innovation. The knowledge he acquired replicates and shares with his contacts, the project has allowed him to give him an image to your business and extend it to digital platforms, this has had an impact on sales and recognition of your business.

“Before the project I was very shy, I had difficulties speaking in public, it was with the training and the support of the project facilitator that I lost my fear. I understood that fear is an illusion, it is not real” says Dixon.

Connecting with others, starting to talk out of nowhere, meeting new entrepreneurs, helps me make friends, today I am more sociable.

Children Believe through Empuje has also helped other people like his sister, he mentions that he invited her to participate and that connects them more as brothers. “One day they held a meeting between families and my mom participated, that allowed her to get to know the project we are in better and of course she supports us as a family, I feel so happy because I have a photo with mom for the first time, some may It may not seem like much, but that photo means a lot to me,” shares Dixon

Economically, Empuje has helped him increase his sales, he is a young entrepreneur, but he has also combined his life with employment. Empuje has helped him in his current job, particularly applying the contents of Job Interview, Curriculum preparation and in all his jobs he applies emotional intelligence.

“The changes that I have had, I attribute to everything that Empuje has given me and that I have taken advantage of. I can’t say that it’s just one thing, it’s everything, educating myself on the virtual campus, participating in camps, job fairs, the accounting course I took from INATEC” says Dixon.

“I can say that the university does not teach what I learn in the project: Innovating, for example, before I had no label, card, brand, I learned how to expand my business, it has helped me think big, now I have understood that my products must have a nutritional table to be more competitive, that each investment I make must have a result, the label, for example, shows my brand, but it is also advertising,” Dixon assures.

He has also strengthened her knowledge that women and men have equal rights, that the paradigms of machismo must be broken, open the mind that we are all equal, we are all human beings with the same rights.

He affirms that for him women and men should have shared responsibilities in the home, those who are parents should also share the responsibility of their sons and daughters, and that people should have time to work and care for their families.

Today Dixon is a different person, he has a different perspective on his personal and professional life, everything he has learned is for his benefit and well-being.

About Children Believe

Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.

About Childfund Alliance

A member of ChildFund Alliance, Children Believe is part of a global network of child-focused development organizations working to create opportunities for children and youth, their families and communities. ChildFund helps nearly 23-million children and their families in 70 countries overcome poverty and underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work to end violence against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children and youth to create lasting change and elevate their voices in decisions that affect their lives.

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