DHF Recent News Update/Summer 2008

We stand for a world without poverty.  The UNDP estimates that one of every five people live on less than $1 a day, while nearly 50% of the people on the globe, or 3 billion people, live on $2 a day and face life-threatening poverty every day.  DHF is actively involved in creating sustainable dignified solutions for poverty alleviation through our microcredit and development programs. Since our February newsletter, DHF has formed four new village banks consisting of nearly 40 new beneficiaries, bringing our village bank totals to approximately 200 women with a 98% repayment rate.

Profiles of Prosperity

Margarita Arce Rudas

42 yrs.; 4 children

Village Bank: "El Chorrito", est. March 2008

First loan: $140; Business: Milks cows and sells milk on street

I am a single mom with 4 children and one grandchild that I am raising.  I dedicate my work to raising cows, but with the small money I receive it is not  enough to cover all the expenses of the house and the studies for my grandchild, who is an orphan.

Thanks for the Village Bank and their support that they have given me, with this loan I can invest in my animals and better my living situation, quality of life for my family, and give my grandchild a better education.  My increased work also lets me support my small children.

I thank God for the people that have invited me to participate in the Bank.  They have given me the confidence and opportunity to be part of a Bank.  I promise to be loyal to my group members and complete my Bank requirements.

Martha Chaname Siaden

Age 50; 4 children

Village bank: "Senor de Luren", est. April 2008

First loan: $145; Business: Produces and sells marmalade

I was very happy to receive a loan and use it to buy bulk sugar because it is cheap and I can make more products.  I was also able to buy more glass containers with my loan and more materials.  My hope for my loan was to make my homemade marmalade in quantity to put it in bigger stores. My dream is now being realized as we speak because this month I got my marmalade in one of the biggest supermarkets here in Cajamarca!

Notes from the Field

Nora Bedard, DHF's Peru-based Program Manager, is at the crux of our amazing development work in Cajamarca. Nora's work is focused on our second program objective to “cultivate passions and talents” and encourage support and well-being for each woman through providing training to support entrepreneurial, financial, and personal goals.  Many have heard the great saying, "Teach a person to fish instead of giving them fish."  With DHF, the microcredit we provide is the "fishing pole," a tool for women to begin to fish for themselves and change their lives.  In this second program objective, we follow up with education and development support and resources to teach women "how to use their fishing poles." 

DHF believes in organic development - from the roots up - beginning with the dreams and desires of the women we work with.  In order to do this, we follow four steps:

We ask them, “do you want to be helped and if so, HOW?”

We learn their culture and language (macro and micro)

We sit with them and don’t talk, but listen

We give them the appropriate resources to accomplish what they want and need

We are extremely proud of the quality of our development work in the field.  Below we've shared simply a few of the pictures from our projects, while some of our ongoing work includes the following:

• Literacy Classes (with goal of obtaining certificate)
• 5-series Jewelry making workshop
• Marmalade Training
• Animal Disease Prevention Workshop
• Wellness Medical Visits (pap smear, dental, psychological)
• “Sewing with Ribbon” Workshop
• Poncho knitting workshop
• Macramé Workshop
• Feria de Productos, (quarterly product Fair exhibit in town center)
• “Money Management 101” and Small Biz Development classes
• Natural Wool Dyeing Workshop
• Cooking Classes
• Rural Community Heath Education Partnership with CARE-29 community sessions, upcoming
• Export Training from Aid To Artisan Consultant-Organizing and Product Standards-upcoming

• Sewing Your Own Clothes-upcoming

If you would like further information about our village banks, reporting from our Peruvian partner AFIDER, or Nora's thoughts from the field, please visit our website at www.lendhope.org  where we post all this information through clickable links, or visit Nora's field blog directly at http://cajamarcahope.blogspot.com/.