This morning I received the first annual report for a project my friend and colleague first told me about last year. It is a micro-loan program for widows in Burundi, Africa, one of the poorest places in the world.
I had read about providing what amounts to venture capital for people in developing nations, and I have received the "gifts" at Christmas that say, "Your gift is our donation to XYZ which purchased two goats for refugees in Estonia," and I've always thought, "What a great idea." So when my friend asked me to be a part of his Widows and Orphans Ministry program and the micro-loan effort, I said, "Sure."
The report I got today listed five pages of women who had borrowed anywhere from $26 to $172 to help them fund their efforts to support their families with everything from "Planting and selling corn and beans" to "Buying a cow to sell milk." The venture was started with just a little bit of seed money from half a dozen associates of my colleague. But the seed money he got from a few friends has turned into an enterprise that has been able to self fund itself as the women who borrow the money pay it back -- with interest -- a whopping ten percent, I might add.
So when Claudine Kwizera borrowed $73 to start selling telephone cards, and she repaid over time $80, her extra $7 went into the kitty for the next needy widow. This self-sustaining fund has already dispersed more than $4300 (a king's ransom in Burundi) of which $3700 has already been paid back and another $1800 still exists for the women who apply for the loans on the next application date. I don't get the math exactly, but I do get the point. This pay it forward sort of system is working in Burundi. Almost 100 women over the last year created and are running their own successful small business operations in order to feed and clothe their children and as part of their quest for a better life.
The small check I sent was a small price to pay to be a part of this effort. I'll do it again in a heartbeat. To know that Macurata Ciza is planting cabbage and Valerie Ntandiburintuntu is selling rice, and their kids are no longer hungry and these women are no longer charity cases feels very good.
If you feel drawn to give, go to www.iamhereforyou.com.
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