Pulse Report July 6, 2010

A business that is growing thanks a loan from HISG
Pulse Report, Jul 06, 2010

Micro-finance in Africa

KENYA- HISG has played a key role in establishing a micro-enterprise fund in Kenya that is helping entrepreneurs start and expand small businesses. The fund is giving loans that are quite small by North American standards, but are more than enough to turn good ideas into solid businesses. One recent example comes from a woman named Mary, who used $150 to turn a tiny dress shop into a boutique (pictured) that can serve the needs of many more customers. These smaller loans are also easier to repay, which means the money can be loaned out again, and again, to help more individuals lift themselves out of destitute circumstances. HISG staff are also advising loan recipients on how to manage their businesses in order to help them succeed. Much of the money from the first wave of loans has already been repaid, and people are taking notice of this quick success. One local participant summed it up, saying "I believe together we will make this company grow, thus changing and transforming the lives of many Kenyans."


Middle East Refugees in Need

MIDDLE EAST- HISG is working with a team in the Middle East to supply food to hundreds of families who have come seeking refuge from two separate wars. Most of them have fled from the conflict in Iraq, but a growing number arrive each month from Africa, driven from their homes by civil war in Sudan. HISG is providing the refugees with vegetables and high-protein foods, and often it is the only decent meal available to them. The program has made a wonderful impact among pregnant women, who are now getting the nutrition they need in order to deliver healthy, full-term newborns. HISG and our partners are reaching more than 500 families, and so many of them have nowhere else to turn for food. They have expressed heartfelt gratitude for the meals they receive, and are deeply moved that HISG is meeting this need.



Department Update: Online Audio Content

In the previous Pulse Report, we mentioned a soccer tournament in North Africa that is a striking example of how HISG "connects resources to needs." You can click here to listen to Tom Love, HISG's International Director for North Africa, talk about how this particular project came together, as well as give some his own insights into why he is so personally committed to helping people in poverty.



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