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empowerment
Tuesday September 16, 2008
Time Machines
Posted by: Rick Perera at 12:29PM EST on September 16, 2008
My first lesson in the realities of poverty and global inequality came on a trip to Guatemala when I was four years old. My father, a doctor, had volunteered for a rural medical project, and brought his young family along.
The country was a riot of unfamiliar colors, smells, and sounds for a child’s senses. The joyfully clattering melodies of the marimba. The bustling marketplaces, where meat came not wrapped in cellophane, but on two or four legs. The destinations called out in sing-song voices by boys hanging precariously from brightly painted buses. “Gua-te, Gua-te, Gua-te-ma-la!” they’d shout, as they departed for the capital. I had no idea that these children, only a few years older than I, worked to help their families survive, at the price of a missed education.
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Final Thoughts on Malawi
Posted by: Phil Borges at 10:05PM EST on September 1, 2008
As the journey in Malawi came to an end, I was left both humbled and deeply impressed by the women I've met. One of the most moving things I heard on this trip was that women were encouraged by our visit, and some who haven't participated in a village savings and loan group may even be inspired to try it.
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Women Investing in Business Together in Malawi, the "Warm Heart of Africa"
Posted by: Phil Borges at 6:27PM EST on August 30, 2008
If I could summarize what I have seen in Kaundama village in just a word, it would be "harmony". I have met the delightful, inspiring members of the Namirazi women's association (named for a local river). I was instantly drawn to them because of their joyful singing; I thought it was just to welcome us, but they continued to sing as they walked to and from their fields, as they cooked lunch, after they ate they just clearly loved the camaraderie and companionship they have found in their savings and loan group.
The group works so well together, they have undertaken a major investment in a new business. In the next couple of months, they will start raising poultry. Each member has already committed 3,000 Malawian Kwacha (about $20) to have the coop constructed. It stands at the ready. After they have saved a total of 110,000 Kwacha ($760), they'll be ready for CARE to help them arrange the purchase and transport of the chicks, feed and other supplies to start the new venture.
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Women Advancing Women in the Warm Heart of Africa ─ "If I Refuse to Help Because I Am Overloaded, We Will Not Get Ahead"
Posted by: Phil Borges at 2:38PM EST on August 28, 2008
I watched a woman named Rhoshida harvest her groundnuts – you might recognize them as peanuts – as the sun sank behind mountains south of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. It was a beautiful scene for a couple of reasons. First, the setting was spectacular. More importantly, there before me was a woman who was harvesting the fruits of her labor, part of a plentiful growing season that would feed her family throughout the year.
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Women Helping Women in the Warm Heart of Africa ─ Creating Access to Credit Where There Was None
Posted by: Phil Borges at 5:28PM EST on August 21, 2008
Photographer Phil Borges traveled for two weeks in May to Malawi with colleague filmmaker/photographer Smith Patrick to learn about how women's village savings and loan associations impact families and communities. It was Phil's seventh trip with CARE.
A village savings and loan association is a group of 10-20 members – usually women – who save small sums of money each week to create a fund from which they can access loans. The loans are used to start or expand small businesses, and are repaid with interest. With the income from interest and their individual enterprises, women are able to improve the health, education and well-being of their families.
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Making a Difference - Seeing Results from Our Work on the Hill
A Nutty Idea that Just Might Work
“Extreme poverty can be ended in our lifetime.”
If you believe this, you are:
a) Optimistic bordering on delusional.
b) A rock star with a cause.
c) A liberal policy wonk.
d) A level-headed realist who believes humans have the capacity and creativity to solve tough problems.
Maybe ending poverty isn’t such a nutty idea.
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