micro-credit

I can't remember if I posted about micro-credit before on my blog. I may have mentioned it when I read Mohammed Yunnus' book "Banker To the Poor." [If you haven't read it, you need to stop reading this right now and go buy it]

As I tend to become borderline obsessive about topics, micro-credit is my newest passion. Over the past few months, my interest slowly grew as I learned more about poverty around the world but recently, my interest transformed to action. I just finished reading another great book that broke down the reasons why micro-credit is the best poverty-busting method. The book is called "A Billion Bootstraps" and it positions micro-credit as a philanthropic investment rather than charity. 

As a brief summary, here are the basics of micro credit:

1) A small loan is given to an entrepreneur in a developing country

2) This loan will help the person expand their business and provide increased monthly income

3) The loans are approx. equivalent to the average GDP in the developing nations

4) The repayment rate is nearly 100%. 80% of loans are given to women

5) By investing in these businesses, the cycle of poverty is broken and a sense of pride is developed as the loans are paid back

6) The repaid loan is then lent to other entrepreneurs

 

Micro-credit gives dignity to those struggling in the cycle of poverty. Did you know nearly 4 billion people live on less than $4 per day? The need is great. So after reading this book, I knew I had to act. Once we know something can be done to help our neighbour, the responsibility is on our shoulders to do it. We cannot claim ignorance. 

I decided to go to kiva.org where entrepreneurs post their loan requests and you can choose a project from all over the world. I have provided a portion of the loans to the following entrepreneurs:

1) Evelyn Amoah

2) I Hope to God Group

3) Victoria Sogaolu

Once my investment is paid back, I will re-invest it in other business projects. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. I can think of no other philanthropic activity where the "donation" continues to change lives long after the initial contribution. I truly believe micro-credit will revolutionize the world and create opportunity for all, not just a privileged few.

"Massive poverty & obscene inequality are such terrible scourges of our times...that they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils."

- Nelson Mandela

To learn more about micro-credit, visit kiva's site. Now you know.

Ted

No, this post isn't about the new man in my life. Last week, through a random link somewhere in the blogosphere, I stumbled across the site ted.com. It is my type of site...the sharing of ideas - good ideas - gets my blood moving. I have only just begun exploring the talks on the site. Basically, experts in various fields share their ideas on how to solve world issues or just inspire people. Two of the videos which have stood out as my favourites so far are:

- Barry Schwartz on our loss of wisdom

- Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity

After I post this entry, I plan to watch Seth Godin's talk on Tribes - I know my life is tremendously exciting.

In Elizabeth Gilbert's video, she talks about our creativity not coming from within us but from an external source. She says something along these lines:

"Maybe if you never happen to believe that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you but rather believe that they are on loan to you maybe from an unimaginable source for a portion of your life to be passed along when you are finished to someone else."

This thought really can free up our creativity to just create because it is not just our self that is creating but an external force...watch the video...my thoughts about this will make more sense.

Sometimes I feel there is so much in the world that I want to learn, to know, to think about, to debate, to create, and to discuss. I realize the catch-22 of our generation is our access to ideas and information is exponentially greater than past generations but we will never be able to learn it all. I suppose our option are to either avoid new ideas and stay with what we already know or rather to embrace whatever we can catch from the fire hydrant of wonderous ideas coming at us. I am not sure if you have seen the Shift Happens (aka Did You Know?) video making the rounds. Last week, I was teaching Grade 9 students about the Economics of Success (basically a stay in school/future planning day) and I shared this video with them. It wasn't meant to scare them but to make them think differently. Follow the link because Shift Happens.

A mish mash of goodness

This post will just be a hodge-podge of items to share so bear with me.

The first update concerns the event which consumed my life for the past month. The Keep a Roof Over Their Heads event raised funds for the long-term, transitional supported housing at the YWCA. The housing provides safe, secure shelter for women and children in crisis. Many women are in crisis due to domestic abuse situations. I heard many stories this week about women who found the courage to leave. This is a cause that grabs my heart at its core. With my job, I work with many worthy causes but this one makes me weep for these women.

Birds-eye view of the event 

My second update concerns a wedding gift I bought myself. No, I am not getting married anytime soon but this was on sale and I am not going to wait until some future wedding before I own one. Meet my new Kitchen Aid Mixer:

I can't believe May is here already. Spring is here finally and there is so much happening during the next few weeks. The concept of anticipation is playing in my mind. I came to the conclusion that anticipating something is half the fun. Think about Christmas...the anticipation of the holiday is almost better than the day itself. In light of that, here is what I am anticipating:

 - Mexican cooking class in 3 weeks

 - 1/2 marathon in 4 weeks

 - Trip to Istanbul, Turkey and England in 4 1/2 weeks

The ultimate

I am looking for the ultimate organizer. 

I find in life there are so many restaurants to try, creative things to make, events to attend, meals to cook, music to listen to, movies to watch, thoughts to ponder, companies to research, social justice issues to discuss, items to buy, decor to drool over...basically so many things to do and I am afraid I will forget what I want to accomplish until it is too late (which is what is happening). 

I have so many lists, folders with information, scrawled notes but the problem is I have no central place for everything. Perhaps I need a Blackberry, iphone or personal organizer but then what do you do with the information you cut out of newspapers or magazines? Can you hook up a scanner to these tech things? Or could you just take a picture of the article?I love paper and the process of writing lists with pen and paper. The act of writing usually causes me to remember but there seems to be so many things written down now, that things are leaking from my memory bank. This memory loss will most likely increase as I get older so I need to find a solution and make it a habit now.

Or perhaps I should hire myself a personal assistant...a good looking 25 year old man (eye-candy)...oh, come on, since having a assistant is only a dream, I may as well make it as fantastic as possible. 

Random Thoughts (again)

It is only with the heart that one
can see rightly; what is essential is
invisible to the eye....Antoine De Saint-Exupery.

When I look at this potato, I could just see a mis-shapened piece of produce with moldy eyes but instead I see a heart. A heart beat up by life; a heart that adapted to things around it; a heart that could grow new life; a heart that could provide sustenance; a heart above all. Perhaps most things in life deserve a second look. 

The feminine - how divine

I am hardly the definition of a typical christian woman. In fact, often I do not even identify with the christian culture because it feels so opposite of what Jesus taught. Despite this, I find it difficult to explore some of the deep-rooted beliefs from my past. One such belief is women in christianity. I wrestled with it. I pondered it. During this past year, my understanding of the issue has become quite different than what I grew up believing. I do not profess to be a scholar of this theology but I feel my learnings need a voice.

For most of my christian faith, I was told women could not be leaders or teachers in the church. That was a man's role and a woman should not question this set-up. If she wanted to ask a question, she should ask her husband (which leads me to a whole other topic but I will resist temptation to follow that rant). Women could not  teach men over the age of 18(?!?). Women could be administrators of churches or counsel parishioners but their title dare not have the word pastor in it. 

What I could not figure out is why God blesses women with teaching abilities, the gift of prayer and prophesy, or leadership qualities yet churches continually silences women or places them in subordinate roles by saying the Bible says women should be silent. Isn't that looking a gift horse in the mouth? Thanks God but no thanks - we, as the church, choose not to use the gifts you gave these women because they are not equal to men. 

This line of inquiry started in earnest last year when my friend was "released" from her pastoral position at a church due to the church's new mission statement which included the tenet that women could not be in positions of leadership over men. She was doing incredible work and lives were changing yet apparently without the right body parts, it just wasn't the "right" fit for the church.  

I could write a thesis on what I have discovered about women in christianity and how the repression of the church has done a disservice but not this week. My year of exploring really came home this past Easter weekend with the fact that God used women to be the first to share the news that Jesus was alive. The Marys told this marvelous news to men - their co-disciples of Christ. Why would God do that if women were not as worthy, gifted or equal to men?

I could look at the Romans 16 passage where women are listed as deacons and apostles (Phoebe & Junia [NIV])  Or the fact women can pray and prophesy in church (I Cor 15). There is a whole slew of commentary about Paul addressing a particular issue at the time in Corinth when he is speaking of women being silent.

The great thing about exploring and questioning an aspect of faith is that you usually stumble across other marvelous things - I am learning about the feminine side of God. I never heard about this before and it truly resonates with me. Centuries of patriarchal society have silences, ignored and repressed the feminine aspects of God in order to magnify the masculine virtues. But did you know...the feminine side of God is in the name of the Holy Spirit ascribed to God in the Old Testament - Elohim. It happens to be the feminine plural of Elowah. So technically, we could translate the word to Goddess. How does that sit with your christian thought?

However, it is not to say that we should now only refer to God as a she or her because God is not a gender specific. It is interesting to see people's looks when I do refer to God with a feminine pronoun. They look at me like a heretic but in fact the Godhead encompasses both male and female genders. Doesn't that truly explain Genesis 1:27 - " God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them".

Knowing God has feminine attributes has allowed me to draw nearer in a more intimate way. After spending nearly 33 years interacting with a Father God, I look forward to exploring a Mother God.

It is Love

Show the Way

by David Wilcox

You say you see no hope, you say you see no reason

We should dream that the world would ever change

You’re saying love is foolish to believe

‘Cause there’ll always be some crazy with an Army or a knife

To wake you from your day dream, put the fear back in your life

Look, if someone wrote a play just to glorify

What’s stronger than hate, would they not arrange the stage

To look as if the hero came too late, he’s almost in defeat

It’s looking like the Evil side will win, so on the Edge

Of every seat, from the moment that the whole thing begins

It is….

Love that mixed the mortar

And it’s love who stacked these stones

And it’s love who made the stage here

Although it looks like we’re alone

In this scene set in shadows

Like the night is here to stay

There is evil cast around us

But it’s love that wrote this play…