You Raise Me Up
Lets do RAOK helping raise people up :)
The Short Sistars, Rebecca, Jacinda and Louisa singing You Raise Me Up.
Haha I'm the one on the right :)
Great Giving Idea: Zidisha.org makes a difference for African small business owners
A Wonderful Opportunity to make a Difference in the Lives of Others!
Zidisha.org will give the first 100 participating members of 29 Gifts Community $10 each to help others help themselves! Here’s how:
Zidisha.org is a nonprofit that lets ordinary web users fund microloans for disadvantaged individuals in Africa. The loans allow the individuals to start small businesses to provide higher income for their families. Once repaid the loan funds are returned to lenders who may in turn fund new individuals of their choice. What makes Zidisha unique is that the borrowers themselves post their loan applications and communicate directly with lenders.
Who are the individuals you can help on Zidisha.org? One typical Zidisha borrower, Bineta Sarr, supports an unemployed husband and three children independently with her small clothing sewing business in Senegal, West Africa. Before she received her Zidisha loan, she was only able to work part-time as she lacked the cash reserves necessary to buy the equipment and materials needed for large-scale production. She was able to raise the necessary funds through Zidisha, thanks to the generosity of ordinary web users who contributed $10 or $20 each to fund her loan. Now she has her own clothing boutique and has employed other staff to help continue to grow her business. She is using her increased earnings to pay for her children’s education, including college for her oldest child. You may read more about Bineta Sarr here.
One of the current applicants, Faith Wanjira, has a small shop in a famine-stricken village in rural Kenya that Zidisha director Julia Kurnia visited last year. She is trying to raise $330 to purchase a stock of food items such as rice, flour and cooking oil to retail in the village. This would allow her to earn money to keep her daughter in school (a rarety in Kenya where the majority of families cannot afford to keep their kids in school for more than a few years) and also improve food security in the village. Lenders can contribute as little as a dollar to help fund the loan and can reuse the repayment funds returned to them to relend to other borrowers or withdraw as cash if they prefer. You may view Faith’s loan application here.
Here's how YOU can help:
1. Go to the zidisha.org website and create a free lender account, using the “New Account” link under the User Login box.
2. Then just leave a comment on this thread with your Zidisha account username. No purchase is necessary to participate, but you must be a member of the 29 Gifts Community Network (i.e. have a profile on this site) in order to participate. Sign up here free if you're not a member already.
3. Zidisha will credit your Zidisha account with a $10 balance which you may use to help fund any open loan application you choose on the zidisha.org website. (Offer valid for the first 100 participants only.)
4. Once the loans are fully funded, they will be disbursed to the borrowers who then repay the loans in monthly installments. You may use these repaid funds to lend in turn to other needy entrepreneurs on the Zidisha website, or you may withdraw the repaid funds to a US bank or PayPal account.
5. We would request that 29 Gifts members who participate in this offer share their thoughts and experiences regarding Zidisha with others. It is our hope that they will find the experience a positive one and will be able to recommend Zidisha to others, so that we are able to grow our community of lenders, bringing the chance to start life-changing small businesses to many more disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
Questions? Please feel free to email Zidisha director Julia Kurnia at julia@zidisha.org.
It takes so little to make a real difference in someone's life. Join our lender community at Zidisha.org
to make this dream a reality.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tamiko Paquette on -
This seems to be a worthy cause and a way to help people and maintain their diginity and respect. For me, I am an internet business owner in the networking field. I have learned that giving always returns tenfold-plus! somewhere in my life. My Zidisha username is tpaquette. Blessings.
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on -
Hi Tamiko,
Congratulations on being the first to participate! We've credited $10 to your account which may be used to fund loans of your choice at any time.
Thanks so much and happy lending!
Julia
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Permalink Reply by Dechele Byrd on -
My user name is Byrd1. I think this is a wonderful site.
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on
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Hi Dechele,
Thanks for joining us! We've credited your account and look forward to having you as a lender.
Best,
Julia
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Permalink Reply by Kerri on -
I would love to be a part of this! My zidisha.org user name is Kaeg96. Thank you!
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on
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Hi Kerri,
Welcome to Zidisha! We've credited your account and you can start lending anytime. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you would like help getting started.
Best,
Julia
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Permalink Reply by lindacat on
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I just signed up ay Zidisha under name lindacat. I love this opportunity and will continue to donate as I can to their website. Another small way to make a big difference in someone's life!
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on
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Dear Lindacat,
Welcome and thanks for joining us! We've credited your account and you are good to go.
Kind regards,
Julia
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Permalink Reply by mebythesea on -
This is simply wonderful! Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful project! My user name is "mebythesea". Thank you so much!! :)
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on
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Hi Mebythesea,
We've credited your account and you can start lending whenever you're ready. Thanks and welcome to Zidisha!
Julia
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Permalink Reply by Mary Abercrombie on -
I've heard about the ability of microloans to make a difference in women's lives, but this is the first time I've heard of a way I could participate. I was a single mom struggling to make ends meet for many years; now that my children are grown I would like to help other women struggling to make ends meet. I set up an account and my username is mabercrombie.
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Permalink Reply by Julia Kurnia on
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Dear Mary,
Thanks for joining us. Your account is now credited so you can start lending any time!
I've been constantly amazed by the women entrepreneurs I met in Kenya and Senegal. Often their husbands are not present or are no longer able to adequately provide for their families due to the decline of traditional livelihoods like fishing and agriculture, and the lack of modern salaried jobs to provide alternative sources of income. The women in these families step forward and take charge of supporting their children with their own small businesses - they're hardworking, smart and proud of the value their businesses create for their families and communities. The great thing about Zidisha is that it gives you a chance to meet remarkable people like this and communicate with them directly while you lend.
Best,
Julia
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