I’ve noticed that there are posts on social networks lately that talk about “first-world problems.” Some of these may include your phone battery dying, running out of gas, or your milk being expired. These are things that some of us let turn into a horrible day.  If you put were to put things in perspective, someone, somewhere always has it a lot worse than you do. Some people don’t have electricity. Some don’t have water. Some don’t have anything to eat. See where I’m going with this?

I believe that it is our obligation of citizens in first-world countries who have all these incredible opportunities to us to help those that are less fortunate. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do this but never knew how? Well I’ve found a solution. It’s called Kiva. Definitely be sure to check out the site for yourself, but it’s basically a way for you to give a micro loan to entrepreneurs throughout the world. You give these people loans to grow their businesses and your loans eventually, usually get paid back in full. The minimum loan is only $25!

Giving micro loans to others is something that we incorporated into our family business. We focused mainly on motorcycle entrepreneurs in African countries like Kenya and Uganda. There’s something incredible about helping someone on the “other” side of the world who you will probably never meet or come in contact with grow their business so they can provide food or better opportunities for their children.

This is something that I’d like to incorporate into the Micro Business Kid. I’ve created a Lending Team on Kiva where you can join me in making a difference in someone’s life. Click the link here to start improving the world one entrepreneur at a time. Please note that I will be changing the Team picture as soon as I have a logo.

My goal is to give out at least one $25 loan a month but I hope to give out more. If you think about it, $25 isn’t too much to ask for.

You can:

• Cancel your gym membership to the gym you don’t go to anymore.
• Skip a $5 latte 5 times a month.
• Don’t go to the movies every weekend.
• Pack your lunch at least once a week.
• So on and so on.

I hope that the Micro Business Kid has already improved your life in some way. I ask that you help me help others do the same.

Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN) partners with individuals and organizations in Latin America and the U.S. to build sustainable economic opportunities that help people work their way out of poverty. Utilizing the powerful tools of microfinance and fair trade, WCCN provides low-income Latin American entrepreneurs, small farmers, and their producer-owned cooperatives access to financing so they can grow their operations and work their way out of poverty. WCCN also promotes women’s empowerment and housing improvement initiatives and fosters greater understanding, goodwill, and peace through people-to-people exchanges.

Good for Business had the honor again this year to help create WCCCN’s 2011 Annual Report. What helped makes the report so compelling is the balance between meaningful words, wonderful images and strong design. We encourage you to support WCCN by visiting http://www.capitalforcommunities.org/invest.

A socially responsible entrepreneur is someone who starts a business with the goal of serving society in one way or another. Sometimes they are individuals who decide to find a solution to a particular problem in society. They take matters into their own hands rather than waiting for government or established business to do something about the problem.  Others identify a need and set off to fulfill the need. Businesses can be set up as non-profit or as profit-making models, however the profits are folded back into the business.  Some main differences between socially responsible enterprises and charities are their structure and governance. Socially responsible enterprises are free to set up whatever business model they deem appropriate rather than being dictated to by government requirements.

An example of a socially responsible entrepreneur that you may be very familiar with is the British chef, Jamie Oliver. Beyond his amazing culinary empire, Jamie identified a need to give back to society by offering career opportunities to troubled youth who otherwise were heading for disaster. He started the 15 Apprentice Program, which has also become a TV reality series. The program consists of identifying 15 young people and putting them through a very rigorous culinary program with the overall goal of turning them into professional chefs. If you want to read more about it here is the link:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/the-fifteen-apprentice-programme/about/story

Another very famous socially responsible entrepreneur is Blake Mycoskie who when traveling in South America met children who did not own shoes. He started the company TOMS, a shoe company that for every pair of shoes you buy it donates a pair of shoes to a child in need. He has also expanded the program to eyeglasses.

http://www.toms.com/our-movement

Today I heard from some amazing women. First we heard from Ceri Jones (pronounced Keri because it is a Welsh name). She is Head of Policy and Research at the Social Enterprise Coalition. This is the United Kingdom’s organization that supports social enterprises. http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/about. The equivalent organization in the US is called The Social Enterprise Alliance. https://www.se-alliance.org/about.  Ceri’s enthusiasm for supporting social enterprises was inspiring. An example of their services is the continued lobbying of the UK government for tax law changes.

Then we heard from four women running their own social enterprises.

Lily Lapenna is founder and CEO of MyBnk.

http://www.mybnk.org/

After starting her career working in Bangladesh, she was inspired by the impact of micro loans. She realized how critical financial education was and that many young people never receive a proper background on the subject. When she returned to the UK she decided to fill this void by starting MyBnk, an organization that provides educational programs about business and finance delivered through the schools, to children ages 11 – 25.  One of their programs is called MyBnk-in-a-Box where the children set up and run a bank within the school for their peers.

Amazing Fact I Heard Today:

Although I believe this fact pertains just to the UK, it may be indicative of other countries in the world:

1 in 20 young adults, ages 16 -24, don’t think they have to pay back credit card debt.

Background: Micro loans are small loans made to poor men and women who have no collateral. The goal is for these men or women to start small businesses with the loan, to become self- sufficient while at the same time enhancing the local economy. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is credited with starting the Grameen Bank in 1983 in Bangladesh, the first bank to make these small loans available to customers. Many others followed.

Kresse Wesling is a co-founder of Elvis and Kresse.

http://www.fire-hose.co.uk/

Her company uses de-commissioned British fire brigade hoses, which otherwise would end up in landfill, to make beautiful belts, handbags, and wallets. Fifty percent of the profits are donated to the Fire Fighters Charity. Kresse shared some great stories of how as a child she was obsessed with recycling and visiting town dump and recycling centers. Her company is also exploring other potential recycling opportunities. She is referred to as environmental entrepreneur. Even the movie stars are joining her cause. Cameron Diaz appeared in Vogue Magazine wearing one of Elvis and Kresse’s belts.

Chantal Coady is the Founder of Rococo Chocolates.

http://www.rococochocolates.com/

Well, she had me at chocolate.

She is an example of someone who decided to follow her passion for chocolate and started her own business in 1983. She wanted to change the very snobby atmosphere of chocolatiers by creating a more inviting and welcoming chocolate paradise.  In 2007, she had the unique opportunity to buy one of the chocolate farms in Grenada that had been providing her with chocolate. They have since set up a joint venture that ensures that the grower gets fair prices for their chocolates. She has used this chocolate to develop her Rococo Organic House Blend.

Amazing Fact I Heard Today:

Chocolate consumption is outpacing cacao production. The average age of a cacao farmer is 73. It is projected that there will be shortage of cacao production in the future and that the price of chocolate will rise astronomically. The industry needs to motivate younger farmers to continue growing cacao. One way to do this is to allow the cacao farmers to reap some of the amazing profits generated by the chocolate industry. Organizations like Fair Trade have been instrumental in helping agribusiness around the world. For further reading go to the links below:

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

http://www.fairtradeusa.org/

Lastly, we heard from Diana Verde Nieto. She started PositiveLuxury.com

http://www.positiveluxury.com/

Her company issues a seal of approval, A Blue Butterfly, to those companies whose practices meet very demanding standards of sustainability. It begins by having these companies fill out self-assessment forms and then by using an elaborate algorithm that culls through social media, the Internet, and public records for data about the company, to generate a profile. If all the standards are met they get the seal of approval.  So now you can feel good about the products you buy for your home and family, knowing that the designer or manufacturer is behaving ethically and that you are also playing a role by supporting only these well-behaved companies. The website profiles big designer names as well as small business owners.

Aside: Sustainability in short is the responsible management of resource use.

With the exception of Chantal Coady who was closer to my age, all of the other speakers were amazingly much younger.  Are we finally succeeding in imbedding social consciousness in our younger generations? What most of the these entrepreneurs had in common was a passion for following their vision, for placing a higher value on the societal contribution, and for placing financial gain last on their priority list. Some of these entrepreneurs have reaped amazing benefits both personal and financial proving that you do receive positive payback for doing good deeds. I admire these social entrepreneurs, for following their passion in identifying a problem and finding a solution all with the goal of bettering our planet.

I would be remiss if I did not share the name and business of a lovely young woman who sat next to me at lunch. Cecilia Crossley recently had a baby and while watching a UK TV ad for orphanages, was so moved that she decided to do something about it. She is founder of From Babies With Love, a company that will donate 100% of its profit to charities supporting orphaned and abandoned children around the world. She has set up an on-line retail store to sell beautiful organic baby clothes. It’s supposed to go live in 10 days, so stay tuned. Her website is: http://www.frombabieswithlove.org/. They are truly a start-up operation, their inventory will be kept in their home, and I understand her husband will be master picker and packer. I wish them the best.

Have you ever felt, oh, maybe just a little bit too caught up in your own daily grind?

Have you ever started to wonder about how to deliver on the promise you made to yourself to make a difference in the world, then proceeded to put that plan on the back burner once more because you simply have no clue how or where to start?

I’m here to help.

Friends, meet Kiva.

If you don’t already know about this amazing social entrepreneurship venture, take a couple of minutes to watch this video. You won’t regret it.

Need I say more? Genius.

These days, it’s hard to let go of your precious, hard-earned dollars. I know how that feels.

But isn’t it worth it to be a part of something bigger than yourself, something that will actually drive someone’s livelihood, enable them to become self-sustaining, and potentially give you your investment back?

When you do get your money back, what will you do with that it? You could withdraw it, effectively ensuring a $0 loss.

Or, you could become a serial investor, re-investing that money again, and again, and again, and watching your investment help people all around the world, effectively ensuring a much, much richer life than you could have imagined possible with just $25 and an internet connection.

Spread the love.

Kiva is all about stories. What draws us all in and inspires us to lend are the stories of courageous micro-entrepreneurs that speak of hard-ship and success, challenges and dreams, love and dedication. Single mothers who request a loan to provide for their children; fathers who are able to finance their kids’ education with a business that was started originally with a Kiva loan; and youths who are the first to study in their family, thanks to the generosity of Kiva lenders (such as in the loans of Kiva´s Field Partner Strathmore University in Kenya whose students write their own Kiva profiles).

The breathtaking view from a window of FRAC's Headquarters on the 14th floor of a Mexico City skyscraper encompasses Chapultepec Park and the Castle.

Just how much local field partner staff have to tell and share with the world I learned during the brief three week period during which I had the pleasure to be the Kiva Fellow for Vision Fund Mexico (also known as FRAC or Fundación Realidad) in Mexico City. FRAC’s official Partner Page on Kiva provides all imaginable numbers and the statistical background. Here is the gist: FRAC has a risk partner rating of 3.5 stars out of 5; it has managed Kiva loans for over 9,000 entrepreneurs to whom almost 3 million dollars have been transferred since 2009; its delinquency rate is a low 3.38%; and 86.13% of its loans go to female micro-entrepreneurs.

Yet, what these statistics don’t mention is the dedication and love that FRAC’s young and idealistic staff brings to their work day after day. FRAC, has over 200 employees – they encompass 200 breathtaking stories and lives from all over Mexico, coming together in FRAC’s vision of wanting to provide financial and non-financial services to those families who do not have access to formal banking services in order to improve their quality of life.

This Kiva Fellow's office space, complete with breakfast: the greatest tamal de salsa verde in the world - I am not exaggerating!

During my work at FRAC’s Mexico City Headquarter, the organization´s staff turned out to be an endless source of inspiration for me. There was not one person I talked to whose story and motives wouldn’t be worth sharing. Within a few brief hours I felt not just surrounded by close friends, but soul-mates – I discovered that everybody around me was at least as passionate and enthusiastic about FRAC’s and Kiva’s work and the impact of micro-finance as I am.

As soon as I told FRAC’s staff about the Kiva Fellows Blog, I was bombarded with requests of staff members to publish their thoughts and their experiences in their own words. Many have a particular pet project they feel most passionate about; others have made an experience at work they are keen to share. Thus grew the idea of creating a little guest blog within the Kiva Fellow Blog. I offered to all staff to publish their thoughts and words on the Fellows’ blog as a way to make readers aware that Kiva doesn’t just connect lenders with borrowers, but that it connects lenders with local staff with borrowers with friends with staff with borrowers with lenders with… stop! Let’s just say: Kiva connects people through lending!

Rosa Gonzalez is the first staff member of FRAC who agreed to share her experience. She was hired by FRAC as their English-Spanish translator a few days after I joined the organization as a Kiva Fellow. Rosa translates both borrower profiles and journals for FRAC borrowers before they are being published or sent to lenders. But let me introduce Rosa in her own words – you will immediately see that they are pure poetry:

“Almost 25 years ago my journey in this life began… I remember my father taking me to English classes when I was young. I remember me doing every possible thing not to go. I did not know that the path was probably already traced.

Rosa is sharing nopales or cactus salad with her team in San Felipe del Progreso.

“I decided to study Communication because that seemed like the only Bachelor that would not keep me in the same spot for too long, but also because I was seeking a way to express myself. What I did not know back then was that my mind would remain restless forever. Eventually, I realized languages were like a gate. I could not travel in time (sometimes not even to other places), but through languages I can absorb at least a hint of other cultures.

“I am a romantic person. Though I know that nothing can be perfect, I love feeling I am doing something to keep this world in balance. That is why I am pleased to work at an organization that makes the difference.

“What do you do for a living? – asked a kindergarten classmate I bumped into last week-end. I gave it a thought: languages and words are my passion, but the feeling they bring, that is exactly what matters the most. I also love small pieces of this world leaving an imprint on me, feelings, moments, people that leave me astonished. I AM DEDICATED TO DIG INTO LIFE WITH ALL MY SENSES.”

So much for Rosa Gonzalez’s gorgeous introduction of herself. A few days after joining Vision Fund Mexico as their translator and receiving a basic training on Kiva processes and the internal politics of FRAC, Rosa was given the opportunity to venture out into the field. She met with local staff – loan officers, Kiva story investigators (who are known at FRAC as “historiadores”), and branch directors – and clients in two outposts of FRAC. Upon her return from the field, Rosa wrote the following guest blog in which she shares her feelings and thoughts in the course of her visit of San Felipe del Progreso, a city near Toluca, two hours north-west of Mexico City. Her passion and the depth of her feelings speak of each of her words:

“Within beauty:

“I have been in several cities in the world, I remember how amazed I was the very first time I left my country, I remember the last time I longed to come back to my Mexico.

The silent beauty of San Felipe del Progreso

“I also remember traveling to touristic cities in here, but last week I took a different trip to a place that I had never heard of: San Felipe del Progreso in the State of Mexico, or “San Fe” as its people say.

“I had no other expectation but to have a nice time, to have another great experience, and I did. As I usually say, experiences are what make our vision go wider, which is what makes us truly wise and more human.

“If you get the picture, I am only getting started. What made an incredible impact on me were the people, people in distant communities who usually only come to town for special reasons. Houses in communities are not big, you can easily see the lack of economic resources, but people living in them just give themselves fully to any visitor.

"El Ocotal" - one of the borrower groups that Rose met during her journey...

“I know there is a lot I need to learn from other people, I DO want to keep on learning. Though we will never live in a perfect world, some of us will continue trying to keep the balance. This time, I am the one who wants to thank Kiva and Vision Fund (FRAC)  for giving me the opportunity of getting to know the deepest beauty in our world.”

This series of guest blogs of FRAC staff members is to be continued – there are at least 199 more stories to share and voices to be heard. While waiting for the next segment, feel free to check out FRAC’s borrower stories and make a loan to FRAC´s amazing micro-entrepreneurs.

Emmanuel M. von Arx is a Kiva Fellow working with VisionFund Mexico (FRAC) in Mexico City.  FRAC provides innovative financial and non-financial services to families and groups that do not have access to formal banking services in rural and semi-urban regions and communities in 12 Mexican States. To learn more, please visit FRAC’s partner page on Kiva or join the Friends of Fundacion Realidad. This fellowship is Emmanuel’s chance to live out to the fullest his unhealthy obsession with tamales.

These are a few of the things I’ve been told by people in the last month who have e-mailed and called because they are passionate about social entrepreneurship and microfinance.

I hate to be the one to break it to them, but talking with other people about helping the poor does not help the poor. While you are talking, they are still hungry.

If you want to discover the best model for combining business and social problems, the very first thing you should do is start a business to solve social problems, or go work for one – right now. Then you will learn what is really involved in a social enterprise. I can tell you from experience, you will be throwing out almost all the ideas and opinions you have about the matter until you do it yourself.

If you want to find the best organization to work with, go work for any organization that is focused on changing any life besides your own – right now. During the year you have been carefully avoiding wasting your time, you have wasted a year.

If you are studying as much as you can today, you have forgotten that while you are studying the problem, a child has missed her opportunity to go to school, so the cycle of poverty is being extended an entire generation in her family. Why are you studying to work on the problem later? The problem is now – work on it right now, and you will learn more than any book could ever teach you.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk, reflect, or study. But I have noticed there are too many people who are mostly talking, reflecting and studying. Ask yourself now, am I spending more time talking about changing the world than I am actually working on it? If so, I suggest correcting that imbalance – now.

Stop looking for the perfect way to participate. Go do anything for those in extreme poverty, anywhere – not for you, for them. Not a conference – first provide a meal. Not a study – first send money for medicine. Not a meeting – first fund a water well.

Raise money for Grameen Foundation. Volunteer with Women For Women. Buy a scarf from WORN. Fund a Bank of Hope at Esperanza International. Donate services to CitySquare. Start a weekend business that funds microloans.

Stop talking about it, and do it.

I am so thrilled that 180 people have joined us to make a positive and lasting difference in the life of a third world entrepreneur!

I often harp on about charity giving ideas that are either cheap or free.  Well, if you havent already joined my #effortforothers KIVA team, here is the perfect way to start – and it wont cost you a cent!

One of the KIVA Board members (the guy who started linkedin) has donated a chunk of cash, and he would like YOU to choose where to lend it.  You choose the person, the country and the micro-business – easy!  The only catch is you cant already be a KIVA lender to take up one of these free loans – there are 8087 free loans to lend, so get in there!

Here is the link: http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/tara1584

If you are already a KIVA lender, then perhaps you might consider forwarding this blog post to your friends or posting it on your facebook page?

Make sure you join the #effortforothers team when you do sign up! (yes the free ones still count towards my team even though you don’t pay!)

Thank you as always for your kindness and support!

Kind regards, Tara

I am writing this to explain something I have been doing recently, and to ask for you all to join me.

Through my interest in social business, alleviating poverty, and just helping those in need, I came across Kiva. (Kiva.org) This is an organization that accepts and manages micro loans to those in need throughout the world. Just a brief example: say a farmer in Cambodia is looking for $1000 in order to up their production this season. As many people in this and other regions throughout the world live on as little as $1 a day, this seems impossible. However, through Kiva, me and 39 other people can loan as little as $25 each to help make up the loan. This farmer then takes the loan and does as planned, thus helping themselves and their community to create better lives. The beautiful part is that over time (anywhere from a couple of months to a year) the loan is repaid. The $25 you loaned comes back to you.

This is so amazing because it is a revamped, better form of charity that has lasting benefits. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese Taoist said: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The problem with charities is they rely on donations. If there are no donations, there is no charity. It is a very bad business plan. However, with social business and micro loans, what we are doing is empowering people to better their lives themselves. This is all they are asking for, an opportunity. I am blessed with being able to provide that for them.

And what is $25, for us? Most people in America spend that on a single meal, while for most in the world that is less than a month’s pay. I am not asking for much, and it is just a suggestion. Browse their website if you are interested, set up an account and start loaning! It is almost addicting for me, knowing that I am helping to make the world a better place just by simple loaning someone across the globe $25. If you are interested in loaning but not in keeping up with it or doing it yourself, just ask me. I have an account and would gladly accept any amount from you and put it in good hands, updating you with the progress over time.

We all have our bad days, but put yourself in another’s shoes for a moment and view the world. While we sit in our heated and a/c’d, multiple bedroom houses, with our cars safely in our garage, cooking food on our stoves and getting clean drinking water at the twist of a knob, stressing about who knows what. Think about those without shelter, food, clean water, clothing, etc. I am not interested in bringing on a guilt trip, we simply do not think about these things in America often enough. My heart breaks when I imagine life in other places. It also helps me to be grateful for the things I have in my life.

My sole interest in this lifetime is to do my part in making this world a better place. People often think they are powerless or too small or don’t have enough money to do anything to make a difference. This is just wrong. I believe in simple, small acts of kindness and their impact on spreading happiness to others. A simple smile in another persons direction has great impact. Holding the door for someone, saying thank you. We don’t have the slightest idea what such a simple act could inspire in another. So smile, always be positive, and love everyone and everything.

‘Net surfers lack the patience for long, drawn out introductions and pitch feeds. If a campaign doesn’t grab within the first 30 seconds, the audience will move on.  This doesn’t mean a campaign isn’t any good, but that the package lacked attractive wrapping and alluring accouterments – not to be mistaken with frippery or ostentatious adornment.  But the invitation for contribution must be palatable and savory, at best.  It’s the first thing backers see.  You only have one chance to make a first impression, and so it better be solid – it better be good.  Here are some “goodness” rules of thumb:

1.  Pick the Right Platform.

Some of the crowdfunding sites out there are: Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, Kiva, Peerbackers, ChipIn, Sellaband, and Pledgemusic, to name a few.  Each has its own unique niche. For example, Kickstarter leads the pack with over $100 million in contributions towards filmmaking alone. Peerbackers was created to help business owners garner funds for startup or expansion costs, and Kiva works intercontinentally with microloans to “help people create better lives for themselves and their families.”  In theory, all three could be tapped for, say, a documentary on the effects of Kiva, empowered by a newly created small business venture.  But Nicole Fende on a podcast called, “SmallBizFinance,” suggests narrowly focusing your campaign and driving it forward through strong marketing strategies.  It’s important to research which option will be the right fit for right now.  Start with one platform and diversify later, if need be.

2.  Research Other Campaigns (competition).

There are 42 pages of campaigns on Peerbackers; 5 categories of film and video on Kickstarter; and Sellaband has helped over 80 artists or groups through more than $4 million from investors.  Crowdfunding is a big deal – and a successful one at that.  Know what you are up against.  Listen, watch and research what already exists or has achieved success.  The only way to stand out is to know where you stand – and what stands next to you.

3.  Script. Plan. Practice. Polish.

The newness of the platform does not negate the need for quality and detail.  Developing your presentation is no different than preparing a pitch.  Gordon Firemark of Entertainment Law Update reiterates the importance of preparation and due-diligence, saying:

“I am often consulted by film and stage producers who tell me they are ready to start work on raising the financing for their films/ plays/ musicals, or what-have-you, but often as not, as we get to work, it becomes clear that they’re not as ready as they think.” 

Package yourself for success.  Assuming you take yourself and your project serious, treat the preparation of your campaign the same.  Remember: first impressions will never happen again.  Get it right the first time.

Additional Links of Interest

Sen. Brown Law Proposal:

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/11/scott-brown-next-steve-jobs/2/?utm_source=Contextly&utm_medium=RelatedLinks&utm_campaign=Previous

Craig Newman: Crowdfunding fraud??

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/12/crowdfunding-big-thing-fraud/

Nat.l Endowment for the Arts:

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/the-nea-responds-to-kickstarter-funding-debate.php

Film Crowdfunding Success:

http://www.boiseweekly.com/Cobweb/archives/2012/03/01/crowdfunding-responsible-for-31-films-at-austin-festival

Entrepreneur Magazine “How To”:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222813

Five Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns:

http://exclaim.ca/Features/Spark/five_successful_crowdfunding_campaigns

Small Business Trends:

http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/04/small-business-financing-sec-eases-crowdfunding-regulations.html

Give a Jumpstart

Which is why I love what my friend and neighbor Suzanne Joyal does as the Executive Director of Give a Jumpstart. The non-profit administers micro loans to women who are supporting families in rural villages in Zambia bordering the Congo.  Suzanne’s newest project Bumba Busumba Hand-Printed Textiles, for which she is currently fundraising, will help her Zambian friends create products to tell their stories and fund their futures.

Why is it beautiful? “We work with vulnerable women in a community devastated by HIV and poverty, “says Suzanne, “but the women of Kashikishi are also strong and joyful.” Bumba Busuma means creating grace. What could be more beautiful than empowering women to help themselves?

Why is it useful? There is a saying in Africa: “Invest in a man and you help an individual. Invest in a woman, and you help a village.” Give a Jumpstart recently launched WEEL (Women’s Economic Empowerment Loan) micro lending program in Zambia to help the most vulnerable women build sustainable business ventures to raise themselves out of poverty.

Why is it green? Put a woman in business and she will put her children in school. The micro-lending program has already reached 150 women in Kashikishi, helping them to create an income to support their families. Loanees are living on $1 per day or less, yet every one is able to pay back their loan on time. The women  are running sustainable businesses such as bakeries, co-op hair salons, and egg, farming, and sewing cooperatives.

Watch the Bumba Busuma Kickstarter video. Proceeds from sales of Bumba Busumba textiles will benefit Give a Jumpstart and WEEL.

Check out Sally’s blog for more B.U.G. Designs.

Kiva is an internet company that provides a platform for peer to peer lending. Anyone can go on their site and see a bio on someone that needs a micro loan to start their business. Then you can make a pledge for either all or part of the money that the person needs. When they pay back the loan it credits your account and you can loan it to someone else, donate it or take it out and use it for something else.  Kiva started in 2005 since then they have raised $284 million in loans they have 689,532 lenders and 98.88% of the loans have been repaid. It’s amazing how a lot of people with a small pledge can add up to so much. Micro loans give people the opportunity to support themselves and bring them out of poverty.

Microfinance Can Be a Good Tool For Empowering Women

“Microfinance programs have generally targeted poor women. By providing access to financial services only through women-making women responsible for loans, ensuring repayment through women, maintaining savings accounts for women, providing insurance coverage through women-microfinance programs send a strong message to households as well as to communities.

Many qualitative and quantitative studies have documented how access to financial services has improved the status of women within the family and the community. Women have become more assertive and confident. In regions where women’s mobility is strictly regulated, women have become more visible and are better able to negotiate the public sphere. Women own assets, including land and housing, and play a stronger role in decision making.

In some programs that have been active over many years, there are even reports of declining levels of violence against women.” (http://cgap.org)

“Today I’m a very respected woman in the community. I have come out of the crowd of women who are looked down upon. Due to the loan that I received… you have made me to be a champion out of nobody.”

- Rose Athieno, Produce Reseller, Uganda

http://www.kiva.org

A woman uses a sewing machine purchased with a Rainbow Network micro-loan

Upon returning from his most recent trip to Nicaragua, Keith was excited to share success stories and words of thanks from people impacted by Rainbow Network programs.

One such story is that of Eunice, a 29 year old woman living in the  Nagarote network. When Rainbow arrived in her community 12 years ago, Eunice was newly orphaned and raising her two younger brothers in a tiny mud hut. She said they survived on handouts from the kindness of similarly impoverished neighbors, but there often wasn’t enough food to share.

With Rainbow scholarships, she was able to attend first high school  and then trade school for a year to become a professional seamstress.

Five years ago, she moved into a Rainbow house, where she now lives with her husband and 2 year old son. They make much of their living with a sewing machine bought on a RN micro-loan, using cloth from another loan.With the profits from each piece of clothing, she is on track to paying off their mortgage. She was grateful for the opportunities afforded through Rainbow, speaking of answered prayers.

Think now of her son, who at two is watching his parents, educated entrepreneurs, pay off their home. He has a safe place to play, grow, and learn the value of education and hard work from his mother and father. When the opportunities of Rainbow combine with the hard work of people like Eunice, the impact ripples through generations.

Funding a micro-loan is a sustainable way to change lives; you really can’t go wrong with a program that cultivates work ethic, takes steps toward self-sufficiency, provides business training, bolsters local economies, and, when paid off, repeats the whole success story by providing the funds to another family. A family’s way of life can be transformed with a micro-loan for only $300. Click the donate button to the right or contact our office to fund a micro-loan.

India Gospel League from India Gospel League on Vimeo.

Madison Park’s Zumba Class…  Making a difference:  Thanks to YOU!  This month we are supporting this organization by providing 3 micro loans to women in India to start their own businesses.  Our prayer is that YOUR lives will be blessed through your efforts in blessing these 3 women in India.  This is what life’s all about!  So proud of you…

The larger point is that there’s hope for women in developing nations, all it takes is a little support from each of us. The book discusses those things that work really well, like social entrepreneurship and doing things like providing micro-loans so that women can gain financial independence, which allows them to send their kids to school and in some cases promotes respect from the men in their lives…

A $2 loan enabled Goretti Nyabenda to purchase fertilizer and begin a business making banana beer. She now supports her family of six, and her husband no longer abuses her.

Photograph by Nicholas D. Kristof.

To learn more about social entrepreneurs and micro-loans you can check out the books ‘How to Change the World’ by David Bornstein and another favorite of mine ‘Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism’ by Muhammad Yunus.

You don’t need to read the book in order to appreciate ‘Women Hold up Half the Sky’ as it pulls the profiles of women who are covered in ‘Half the Sky’, however, I thought it was great to look at the various color photographs and video footage of the women that I had read about in the book. The exhibit also provides an interactive experience in the form of a ‘wish canopy’, which was designed by architectural firm Layer. The wish canopy gives each of us the opportunity to write down a wish for a woman that we don’t know personally and a second wish for a woman that we do know personally. The wishes then become a part of the wish canopy which hangs above your head as you walk through the exhibit… It’s really beautiful in concept and realization.

The wish canopy as photographed by Ms. Magazine for their blog. You can see the blue pieces of paper with the wishes written on them.

There was a three-part theme set to guide the educational and celebratory sessions. The theme was “Passion for God. Passion for the Philippines. Passion for the Filipino Poor”.  Every speaker or event was chosen to address one of these themes. Pastors and spiritual leaders spoke to address the spiritual health of the CCT staff as well as teach them how to cultivate spiritual transformation of their borrowers. Professors and experts on Filipino culture addressed the latter two themes in order to re-ignite the passion of the staff for their unique culture and fascinating history as a nation. Lastly, President Ruth Callanta identified the marginalized impoverished groups of the Philippines and identified the steps to begin or refine outreach efforts to make financial and support services more available. These groups include the landless agricultural workers of the Visayas, the B’laan tribe of Mindanao and a group of people known as “fisher folks”.

What follows is a pictorial presentation of the 20th anniversary celebration:

CCT received recognition for years of service in microfinance and other support services

Cultural dance and instruments from the B'laan tribe in Mindinao, one of the identified marginalized groups to receive services from CCT

Cultural Dance from the island of Palawan

Freedom Wall allowed CCT staff to write messages about their MFI and celebration

"I love CDO" refers to Cagayan de Oro, one of the cities in Mindanao that lost thousands of residents to Typhoon Sendong

This skit portrays a scenario involving CCT's insurance products that are offered to their partners

Cultural Dance from the island of Palawan

Cultural dance from the B'laan tribe of Mindinao

Palawan cultural dance

Jill Hall is part of Kiva Fellows 16th class, working with Center for Community Transformation (CCT) in the Philippines. She is enjoying all the sights, sounds and food of her new home, the Philippines.  Please support CCT borrowers by reading about their stories and making a loan today. Be a part of the movement of Kiva and join CCT’s lending team or check out CCT’s partner page. Former posts written by Jill about her experiences in Manila and Center For Community Transformation (CCT) can be found at:

The Circle of Life; Filipino Style

Work is cancelled; Typhoon Day

Girlie’s Peanut Butter: Borrower Verification in the Philippines

Study Now Pay Now: Funding Higher Education in the Philippines

And the Winner is….

I recently was introduced to a new charity called Kiva where you can make micro loans to people in literally every part of the world. (I DO have to give all the credit to my sister who gave me a $25 Kiva gift card for my birthday to make my first of many loans.)

How it works: You search through the site to choose a borrower. This is the coolest part for me.. maybe it’s because I love to travel or have a weird curiosity to see what daily life is truly like for other people. But none-the-less, you get to read mini-bios and see pictures of the people requesting  loans in areas like agriculture, housing or even group business loans. Then you make the loan and wait to get paid back. EASY as that! You can then re-donate the money.

Why it’s cool: Micro-financing gives people the power to create opportunities for themselves. They’re working to improve their own conditions, not asking for a hand-out. Since being founded in 2005, Kiva has made over $273 million dollars in loans and has a 98.91% repayment rate. PRETTY AWESOME STUFF!

*Great gift idea for the broke-but-wanna-be-humanitarian in your life!

Browse the site, loan some money, and have fun!

Happy Giving 2012!

MH

Institutional birthdays in the US can be fairly stuffy affairs. Seating is often arranged to maximize contact with those in the institution with whom one has never spoken (perhaps for good reason, argue some guests) and they tend to be remembered more for inappropriate comments inserted into otherwise boring speeches rather than for the celebrations that they hope to be but rarely are.

Not so at the Cooperativa San Jose de Chimbo (CSJ). Instead of standing around awkwardly, everyone secretly wishing they were somewhere else, the 47th birthday of CSJ (conveniently combined with the office Xmas party) was a chaotic and energetic no-holds-barred inter-office Karaoke war. There wasn’t a bored face in the crowd.

Upon arrival, I found myself quickly ushered to the judges table across the large open dance hall from the stage, which had an impressive array of microphones and speakers as well as three unidentifiable steel objects evenly spaced across the front. They looked like iron champagne glasses. I was told, along with my fellow judges (the general manager of the credit union and the three directors of the members’ association, one of whom also happens to be the booming “ladies and gentlemen” voice of the local radio station) that I would be judging contestants on vocal quality, presentation, and the ‘use of the stage’.

I quickly discovered what the mysterious objects were (and what ‘use of the stage’ meant) when the third singer stepped up. It was the janitor from CSJ headquarters, Don Vinicio, who as it turns out is an impressive baritone with a mean stage presence and a penchant for ballads. As he began to sing, someone walked in front of the stage with a match in hand. Sparks and flames began shooting up from two of the metal objects in front of Don Vini to a height of at least 15 feet. (Please excuse the quality of the following clips… they’re fun, but they aren’t nearly as awesome in terms either content or video skills as Laurie’s video from yesterday)

That was only the beginning. As the next group began their set, a little boy of no more than 7, wearing a bright yellow shirt and what appeared to be a two foot by two foot papier-mache buffalo or mule head, came stumbling on unsteady little legs through the doorway and onto the open dance floor. In place of horns, the buffalo had the same metal champagne glasses shooting sparks and flames precariously close to the thin cloth hung from the ceiling, until they slowly fizzled out into smoke. The lack of flames didn’t stop him from continuing to dance around the floor, still wearing the smoking buffalo head.

Just after the set had ended, he and his giant mask collapsed onto the floor. The little boy then proceeded to leave the smoking buffalo head in the middle of the floor and promptly run for the exit laughing wildly, arms flailing.

Ever make a Kiva loan to CSJ that said the borrower lived in Chillanes? The flaming buffalo- headed child is the son of the Loan Officer responsible for distributing that loan! The two women clapping (around the 43rd second of the video) on the left at the far end of the table (one in blue, the other in white) are “the Karinas”, CSJ’s two Kiva Coordinators who happen to have the same first name.

There was a brief interlude during which we all got up and danced to a DJ, after which we went back to our seats to listen to the remaining performances. These included CSJ’s lawyer and assistant director singing a folksy local favorite, and a very pregnant loan officer belting out cheesy love songs; she ended up winning handily after a sub-par performance from Don Vini during the second round head-to-head Karaoke-off.

After the awards presentations, the announcers unexpectedly invited myself, CSJ’s general manager, and three directors of the member’s association to sing “El Rey”, an awesomely absurd classic Mexican ranchera song that is popular all over Latin America for its not-so-subtle allusions to the King of Spain (and to a more general tendency to exaggerate one’s own importance). Sadly, there is no video of this; I think the cameraman was on stage singing with us!

The rest of the night jumped around between dancing, speeches and eating, until a live band (of professionals) came out. After that, nobody dared interrupt the dancing; and when the band finally packed it in, we all went out for more.

CSJ is not always like this. Four social performance badges and a four-star risk rating on Kiva don’t earn themselves; the good folks of the Cooperativa San Jose work hard. But as it turns out, when given the chance, they play hard too. Tomorrow is my last day here, and I already miss them for both, among other things. Happy 47^th to the Cooperativa San Jose!

Marcus Berkowitz is a first-time fellow with Cooperativa San José (CSJ) in the western Andes of Ecuador’s Bolívar province. Show support for CSJ´s hardworking rural borrowers by making a loan. Or get even more involved by joining CSJ’s lending team!

A portion of Javo Welfare Group’s$950 loan helps the borrower described to source farming inputs, such as seeds and fertilizer, at low prices for the 2012 planting season.