I feel like I need to wrap up my trip. I’ve shared many stories and pictures, but there are a couple of little gaps.
The HOW: Microloans work because people who don’t have financial capital have social capital. The group microlending I shared earlier works with groups of five borrowers. While each person decides what loan they need, the GROUP is responsible for the GROUP’S loan. So there is a lot of pressure from the community–and a lot of help, too–to make good on the loans. We saw the lady whose clothing business failed. Her group helped her come up with another idea. It was in their interest because they would have been on the hook for her loan if she couldn’t have paid! The loan usually has to be paid back in six months. This keeps the amounts manageable. Associates can take another loan at the end of the six month cycle, and many do. Most of the people we met are multi-year clients of Esperanza.
Our group: One of the best parts of the trip was spending time with other Christians who are interested in building God’s kingdom but aren’t convinced that handouts are the answer. Most of the people we were with have spent some time considering what happens after you give money to an organization. They were also predominantly entrepreneurs (like my husband), and understand that commerce and business are just tools that God gives us to create wealth and promote human growth and flourishing. We spent hours debating the pluses and minuses of microlending, the effects it has on communities, and who is really getting helped. We wrestled with the idea that, for now, women disproportionately benefit from this program. (“Where are the men?!” was an enormous concern.) But I feel safe in saying that we all saw this as a powerful tool for getting people onto the ladder that will lift them out of poverty. Simply reducing vulnerability to all of the risks life presents seemed to many of us to be a worthy reason to support microfinance.
They were also incredibly fun! We had card tricks and the world’s funniest joke (yes, really), a beach-front talent show and breakfast devotions that will stay with me for a long time. I may need to be more involved with HOPE just to stay in touch with people.
And that brings me to…
The HOPE Staff. Honestly, Bill and I can’t think of a time when we have been more consistently impressed with the people associated with an organization. All of them, from the president (Peter Greer) to the loan officers in the field. Several staff from the US accompanied us on this trip, and each one was kind, smart, and committed to poverty alleviation in the world. They came from a variety of denominations so there wasn’t a particular dogma they were attached to. Rather, they came together around God’s Word and a commitment to bringing Jesus to the world through commerce and microfinance. This is a organization worth supporting.
I think I’ll end there, because I can’t think of anything better to say! I hope that my posts have inspired you to think about the “least of these” around the world, and possibly to consider becoming involved with a group like HOPE International or another similar organization. Please feel free to ask other questions–I can certainly find out answers if I don’t know them!