As I outlined in my last blog entry La Ceiba is home to The Adelante Foundation. An organization supported and funded MyFight that supports local women and grants them small loans to facilitate their entrepreneur endeavors. Visiting Adelanate has been on my bucket list since working with MyFight the summer of 2011. It was/is really important to me to see my work go full circle and to meet the actual people impacted and hear a bit of their stories- ultimately to see the life they live.
I jumped on the back of a motorcycle with a Honduran loan officer (don't worry Ma they gave me a stylish helmet) and took off to meet a few of the borrowers. We cruised out of the trafic of La Ceiba to the country side surrounding it with the outline of the beautiful and appropriately named Pico Bonito in the background. Irma, the loan officer I was with, organizes her groups for weekly or bi-weekly meetings to offer continuous support through lessons and keep tabs on their money outstanding. The groups I visited had just fishished their first 6 month loan cycle and were ready to take out the second round the next week. In their first cycle most of their lessons were about health: family planning, self-care, nutrition ect. As I came in they were just working on the business side of things; how to separate personal and business expenses and how to determine profit once all overhead expenses are taken into account. All fairly basic knowledge tools but crucial for these women to maintain a family and healthy lifestyle along with getting a handle on their new or developing business. Beyond the value of the lessons I think they have greater value in the groups they participate with. The assemblies are all from the neighborhood and anyone wanting to join the assembly must be approved by every member- empowering to women and helping to maintain the trust needed for such endevors. On top of that the assembly is divided into borrowing groups. Each member takes out their own loan, but 3-5 of those people are responsible for each other paying back the loan in full. It creates a great community and also keeps everyone more accountable with a better success rate. Everyone wins!
Meeting these women in the most simple of settings was truely inspiring. There was a variation of Honduras of all different shapes, sizes, and ages. They were all there together to support themselves, but also to create these same opportunies for other women just like them. At the end of each of the meetings I got to talk to them, both groups were extremely unique. The second group, La Union, was made up of a bunch of feisty independent women with a chip on their shoulders due to the lack of men in their lives. The second group, El Pino, was a bit more humble and more curious about my visit. I talked to a few women before this meeting in particular opened and then briefly introduced myself to the group before I became an observer of their lessons. When it opened up for questions the women immediately presented the question "Why the support?" This was an interesting and extremely hard question to formulate words for...especially in Spanish. I told them that it was important to me to see tangible evidence of the time I had spent working to support Adelante, and as said above I told them it is more important to know the faces that have the drive and tenacity to make the necessary changes for their own well being and that of their families (word choice was not this elegant in Spanish.) Before another women could ask what I did to help Adelante the owner of the meeting space piped up and explained to the assembly that she had talked to be before the meeting and that she was blown away by the few sentences we exchanged. I myself thought nothing of it, but this women was impressed that I (and MyFight) did/do something as simple as selling shirts so that women like herself would not get left behind or stuck with out opportunity. She was thankful that people so far away work to keep this possible for them. Following this the women, these women who had already inspired me, gave me a round of applause. Something that Jesse (the founder) and all the other people who have continued to support MyFight through their growth deserve just as much- or more so than me. But I took it to heart-I am just as thankful for all these opportunities too and to be able to share them.
After, another woman proudly rose to her feet and said that she wasn't ashamed to say how little her average sized business needed to get started. God, Adelante, and the people from afar had opened a door for her and the women surrounding her. She said she was willing to fight for her family and fight for her business to see what other doors could be opened. Truly heart warming- this stuff happens on a daily basis people. These people fight and break through barriers every day and I got to meet them. I got to see how far our dollars have stretched to continue impacting. Furthermore, what was most empowering was their understanding that paying off their loans was not only helping themselves, but going to be available later for opportunities of others in their country. They took that civil responsibility upon themselves and are making changes through making tortillas and bread, opening Pulperias, or selling men's and women's under garments that will help more than themselves.
If you are just recently tuning into my blog and haven't checked it out go to www.myflight.org and see how buying a t-shirt can impact lives in Honduras and Ethiopia. For me it is the best way to support, sitting in an office working for Adelante may not be my calling, but buying and selling t-shirts sure worked out well for me! Plus Christmas is just around the corner...
I jumped on the back of a motorcycle with a Honduran loan officer (don't worry Ma they gave me a stylish helmet) and took off to meet a few of the borrowers. We cruised out of the trafic of La Ceiba to the country side surrounding it with the outline of the beautiful and appropriately named Pico Bonito in the background. Irma, the loan officer I was with, organizes her groups for weekly or bi-weekly meetings to offer continuous support through lessons and keep tabs on their money outstanding. The groups I visited had just fishished their first 6 month loan cycle and were ready to take out the second round the next week. In their first cycle most of their lessons were about health: family planning, self-care, nutrition ect. As I came in they were just working on the business side of things; how to separate personal and business expenses and how to determine profit once all overhead expenses are taken into account. All fairly basic knowledge tools but crucial for these women to maintain a family and healthy lifestyle along with getting a handle on their new or developing business. Beyond the value of the lessons I think they have greater value in the groups they participate with. The assemblies are all from the neighborhood and anyone wanting to join the assembly must be approved by every member- empowering to women and helping to maintain the trust needed for such endevors. On top of that the assembly is divided into borrowing groups. Each member takes out their own loan, but 3-5 of those people are responsible for each other paying back the loan in full. It creates a great community and also keeps everyone more accountable with a better success rate. Everyone wins!
Meeting these women in the most simple of settings was truely inspiring. There was a variation of Honduras of all different shapes, sizes, and ages. They were all there together to support themselves, but also to create these same opportunies for other women just like them. At the end of each of the meetings I got to talk to them, both groups were extremely unique. The second group, La Union, was made up of a bunch of feisty independent women with a chip on their shoulders due to the lack of men in their lives. The second group, El Pino, was a bit more humble and more curious about my visit. I talked to a few women before this meeting in particular opened and then briefly introduced myself to the group before I became an observer of their lessons. When it opened up for questions the women immediately presented the question "Why the support?" This was an interesting and extremely hard question to formulate words for...especially in Spanish. I told them that it was important to me to see tangible evidence of the time I had spent working to support Adelante, and as said above I told them it is more important to know the faces that have the drive and tenacity to make the necessary changes for their own well being and that of their families (word choice was not this elegant in Spanish.) Before another women could ask what I did to help Adelante the owner of the meeting space piped up and explained to the assembly that she had talked to be before the meeting and that she was blown away by the few sentences we exchanged. I myself thought nothing of it, but this women was impressed that I (and MyFight) did/do something as simple as selling shirts so that women like herself would not get left behind or stuck with out opportunity. She was thankful that people so far away work to keep this possible for them. Following this the women, these women who had already inspired me, gave me a round of applause. Something that Jesse (the founder) and all the other people who have continued to support MyFight through their growth deserve just as much- or more so than me. But I took it to heart-I am just as thankful for all these opportunities too and to be able to share them.
After, another woman proudly rose to her feet and said that she wasn't ashamed to say how little her average sized business needed to get started. God, Adelante, and the people from afar had opened a door for her and the women surrounding her. She said she was willing to fight for her family and fight for her business to see what other doors could be opened. Truly heart warming- this stuff happens on a daily basis people. These people fight and break through barriers every day and I got to meet them. I got to see how far our dollars have stretched to continue impacting. Furthermore, what was most empowering was their understanding that paying off their loans was not only helping themselves, but going to be available later for opportunities of others in their country. They took that civil responsibility upon themselves and are making changes through making tortillas and bread, opening Pulperias, or selling men's and women's under garments that will help more than themselves.
If you are just recently tuning into my blog and haven't checked it out go to www.myflight.org and see how buying a t-shirt can impact lives in Honduras and Ethiopia. For me it is the best way to support, sitting in an office working for Adelante may not be my calling, but buying and selling t-shirts sure worked out well for me! Plus Christmas is just around the corner...
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