With the relative success of NTFP-based enterprises of NTFP-EP partners such Keystone in India, the CustomMade Crafts Center in the Philippines and the JMHI honey network in Indonesia, there are many models of community-based enterprises to draw lessons from. With requests for partners for training, strategy support, mentoring and coaching for enterprise initiatives, the NTFP-EP held its first enterprise training for partners last 4-8 August in Rizal, Philippines.

The entire training was hands-on and let the participants assess their own enterprises, prepare broad strategic intervention strategies, and prepare a simple business plan. Resource persons included Arlynn Aquino, Rene Guarin of UMFI, Mathew John of Keystone and Irfansyah of Swiss Contact. In the long-term, NTFP-EP hopes to provide primary enterprise mentoring to NGOs and community partners through this start-up group.