micro-loans
I just watched the most interesting program on PBS about women in poor, rural areas of Asia and Africa (they may have covered other areas but I turned it on late).
A program called micro-loans is used, and a majority of people getting these loans are women-80% of those receiving loans are women in fact. The loans are small, I think almost all of them mentioned were under $100 U.S. dollars but the effect it has is pretty amazing.
They have tried to integrate men into the program, but they were much less likely to pay back the loans and stay within the parameters required by the lenders, so some programs don't even involve men. If a man wants a loan, for example, he can go through his wife to get one, but on his own he can't.
I was really amazed by the program because it's such a different approach to tackling poverty. They weren't being given charity-not food or money that would be used up and back to the original problem-they're given power to make things better.
With a loan of something like $50, these women are starting businesses, paying back a small amount each week, and changing not only their lives but their children’s as well.
One interesting point was that when men benefit from making some money or are given a loan, you see very little benefit for the family as a whole. But when women are in the same position, the family is suddenly able to eat more regularly, children attend school, and life is just better overall.
It kind of made me realize that the whole idea of the "American dream" is ridiculous. It's more like the human dream- to succeed at something, even if initially you needed help, and to provide for yourself and your family. I could totally relate to these women on the other side of the world, speaking another language. It’s hard sometimes to do that when they seem so incredibly different, but I felt a huge connection to them. We're both going for the same thing-I'm in college working to get to a goal and they're working to get business started.
One woman mentioned that she used to be abused by her husband if she came home late. Now she runs her own business, and pays him to work for her.
It's just amazing that the amount of money many of us see as pocket change can have such a huge impact on entire families and how women are viewed by the entire community.
It was just an awesome show overall. I don't know the exact name or when it will be on again but it's worth checking out, very inspiring and nice to hear of good things going on in this very negative focused world!
A program called micro-loans is used, and a majority of people getting these loans are women-80% of those receiving loans are women in fact. The loans are small, I think almost all of them mentioned were under $100 U.S. dollars but the effect it has is pretty amazing.
They have tried to integrate men into the program, but they were much less likely to pay back the loans and stay within the parameters required by the lenders, so some programs don't even involve men. If a man wants a loan, for example, he can go through his wife to get one, but on his own he can't.
I was really amazed by the program because it's such a different approach to tackling poverty. They weren't being given charity-not food or money that would be used up and back to the original problem-they're given power to make things better.
With a loan of something like $50, these women are starting businesses, paying back a small amount each week, and changing not only their lives but their children’s as well.
One interesting point was that when men benefit from making some money or are given a loan, you see very little benefit for the family as a whole. But when women are in the same position, the family is suddenly able to eat more regularly, children attend school, and life is just better overall.
It kind of made me realize that the whole idea of the "American dream" is ridiculous. It's more like the human dream- to succeed at something, even if initially you needed help, and to provide for yourself and your family. I could totally relate to these women on the other side of the world, speaking another language. It’s hard sometimes to do that when they seem so incredibly different, but I felt a huge connection to them. We're both going for the same thing-I'm in college working to get to a goal and they're working to get business started.
One woman mentioned that she used to be abused by her husband if she came home late. Now she runs her own business, and pays him to work for her.
It's just amazing that the amount of money many of us see as pocket change can have such a huge impact on entire families and how women are viewed by the entire community.
It was just an awesome show overall. I don't know the exact name or when it will be on again but it's worth checking out, very inspiring and nice to hear of good things going on in this very negative focused world!