News & Updates

Women's Microfinance Initiative Update - November/December 2008

GLOBAL GIVING CHALLENGE A HUGE SUCCESS
During November, WMI participated in the Global Giving Project Challenge.  Global Giving is a non-profit, on-line bulletin board supporting other non-profit organizations engaged in poverty relief and social justice: www.globalgiving.org.   In order to obtain permanent listing on the site and gain access to potential supporters who peruse the site, WMI was required to raise at least $3,000 from at least 75 individual donations made on the GG web site during the window of November 1 - 21, 2008.

With your support, WMI raised nearly $6,000, from over 100 donors, via contributions on the GG web site during the Challenge.  Additionally, the Laura and Guy Cecala Family Foundation generously contributed $1,000 directly to WMI during the Challenge. Several individuals also made contributions directly to WMI during the Challenge, bringing the grand total to just over $7,000.  This widespread outpouring of community support made it possible for WMI to reach the Challenge goal.

Since the Challenge ended, WMI has received over $1,000 in contributions via the GG web site.  Plus, a group of women at the First United Methodist Church in Boca Raton, Florida read about WMI on the GG web site.  They are focused on supporting organizations engaged in poverty relief and WMI just received a contribution of $500 from this wonderful group of women led by Rose Sunbury, Emily Cann and Roxann Scalota.  WMI also received significant support in the Challenge from members of the Federal Communications Bar Association, through an e-mail appeal led by Robyn Nietert, Jill Lyon and Liz Sachs.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROCEEDING
The September construction grant from the Towards Sustainability Foundation is being put to work funding preliminary building construction requirements in Buyobo.  WMI borrowers have been meeting out in the open (rain or shine) and have no permanent place to store records or supplies.  The grant has already financed the purchase of a large tent, which the women set up for weekly meetings.  Olive Wolimbwa, WMI's local director, has met with the local government council and received written approval for the building construction and a plot of land in the center of the village has been allocated to the project.  Construction of the building is a joint effort between WMI and the Buyobo-Buteza Community Development Association (BBCDA), and Olive and the BBCDA have met with the government surveyor, who has begun to prepare the required survey. 

Olive has obtained three written bids from local contractors, and is being assisted in the contractor selection process by Sam Watulatsu, from FDNC, the non-profit in Mbale that provides local back-up support to WMI.  Al Tetrault, a WMI Advisory Board Member who is a real estate development consultant with expertise in community development planning, has reviewed the bids and is preparing more detailed drawings and specifications for the contractors.  Al was formerly an instructor and department head at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology in Kenya , while serving in the Peace Corps.  While there he supervised the construction of a building and his input in the construction process has been extremely helpful.  John Shepard, a recently retired consultant with the World Bank, assisted BBCDA with the construction of a maize mill in the village, and he is consulting with Al on local issues that might impact the building construction.

Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church included the building construction in its holiday Angel Gift Tree array of worldwide service projects.  During the last few weeks, donors contributed nearly $800 to purchase bricks and their thoughtfulness will be memorialized with bricks in one of the building walls painted with their names.  In the spring, WMI will extend the same opportunity to all those who are interested in personalizing a brick in the new building.

JANUARY LOAN ROUND
Robyn and WMI Advisory Board Member, Trix Vandervossen, will travel to Uganda in January 2009 to make the first round of loans for the New Year, as well as provide follow up loans for graduating borrowers.  Olive reported that the credit program is expanding very quickly to neighboring sub-counties and she has identified an organized group of widows and guardians in Butandiga sub-county, about 15 kilometers from Buyobo, as the next group of borrowers.  Olive met with the Chairperson of this widow's organization, Janet Lunyoro, and was very impressed with the industriousness of the members.  The women had heard about the WMI credit program and approached Olive about being included in the program.  Olive visited them and discussed the program requirement with the women, who are interested in selling bananas and charcoal and buying and selling second-hand clothing.  The 40 selected borrowers will be organized into 2 groups of 20 - the purple and pink group -  and they will come to Buyobo together the last week-end in January to receive business training from Ruth Naduli of FDNC, under the big WMI tent.  Trix and Robyn will then organize the paperwork and issue the loans the last Monday in January.

While in Uganda , Trix and Robyn will meet with government officials and bankers to talk about the WMI program and explore opportunities to develop local support for WMI's operations.

FEEEDBACK FROM OCTOBER VISIT TO WMI'S PROGRAM IN BUYOBO
At the end of November, Ron Cordes, who along with his wife provided $7,500 grant to WMI to fund a 5-year salary for Olive Wolimbwa, WMI's local director, traveled to Buyobo to meet with Olive and get a first hand view of WMI's credit program at work.  Ron later emailed us these comments:

"Our group was incredibly impressed by the over a dozen women borrowers we met, and the justifiable pride they displayed as we toured their businesses and they shared with us how their business concepts were developed and the success they were experiencing. In addition, we were impressed with the organizational structure that WMI has put together on the ground in Buyobo - - with the combination of Olive as a very capable and charismatic leader of the program in the village plus the valuable oversight role played by FDNC."

Tara Sands, a PhD. candidate at UNC, was part of the contingent and she later contacted WMI to indicate she is writing a microfinance research publication and wanted to use WMI as an example of an up-and-coming MFI in the region.  WMI provided her with feedback about its program and WMI will be included in the publication, which will go to investment groups that are interested in social investing.

 FOREIGN POLICY TASK FORCE MEETING
In early December, Robyn attended a foreign policy task force meeting organized by Obama campaign activists.  The group reviewed broad foreign policy issue that need reform, including how U.S. foreign assistance is administered, the priorities of developing countries, and the balance between civilian and military aid.   With the Pentagon's establishment of an Africa command and its emphasis on working with the State Department, AID and other development agencies, plus the Army's new focus on nation building, its seems the U.S. government's realignment of priorities is geared toward the kind of local impact that WMI is creating through its loan program.  There is a natural synergy between private microfinance projects like WMI's and the government's new emphasis on nation building and economic empowerment as foreign relations tools.  The task force will make recommendations to administration policy makers.  If anyone is involved in any aspect of foreign affairs, WMI would be interested in exploring avenues to provide further input on foreign policy priorities.

GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL PRESENTATION
In early December, Robyn made a presentation on the WMI program to STAND, the Georgetown Day School's Save Dafur club, which is the Genocide Interventionn Network's student-run organization tht centers on empowering individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide through education, advocacy and fundraising.

END OF YEAR ROUND UP
As you know, WMI issued its first loans in January of 2008, so this is the end of its first year of operation.  

 It has been a whirlwind 12 months and WMI has met its goal of issuing 120 new loans and 40 follow up loans for 2008.  Plus, this last month, WMI became cash flow positive on its operations.  WMI is now serving 10 villages and its footprint continues to expand as news of the program travels by word of mouth throughout the Sironko district outside Mbale.  It appears that we will have raised nearly $55,000 this year, which is truly remarkable.  WMI has received support from 6 foundations and received the very good news that one of the foundations is recommending WMI for a $20,000 grant in 2009!

Several hundred donors like you have made WMI's mission of working to alleviate global poverty a reality.   Together we have crafted a hands-on, home-grown international outreach effort that is making a very visible difference in the lives of impoverished women and their families.  Thank you so much for your on-going support.

Women's Microfinance Initiative Update  - September/October 2008

WMI RECEIVES CONSTRUCTION GRANT
WMI received wonderful news in late September.  The Towards Sustainability Foundation awarded WMI a grant of $8,342 to construct a small building in Bulambuli village.  Right now, the women are meeting out in the open (rain or shine) and have no permanent place to store records or supplies.  The building will be constructed in conjunction with the Buyobo-Buteza Community Development Association (BBCDA), another non-profit operating in Bulambuli, and will have 2 offices and a large meeting room.  The site will serve as WMI's headquarters and will provide a central location for WMI staff and volunteers, as well as for borrowers' support group meetings and training sessions.  Since conventional banks do not exist in the rural community, the WMI/BBCDA building can provide a fixed location to launch credit and savings plans that can serve local villagers.  The building will be the visible presence of WMI in the community - the meeting hall