Liya Banda is the loan recipient I helped fund from Lusaka, Zambia. Her story stood out to me because there was not much progress made on her loan. She was far from her goal with only 10% progress made. At the time I picked her, there was a glitch on FINCA’s website and I wasn’t even able to read her full biography. I decided to fund her loan anyways because I trusted that she could use the help. Her story was on the last page of the website, her loan wasn’t near being fully funded, and her biography was not complete. I put myself in her position and realized just how much help she needed. I had hope that people would do the same I did and give her the benefit of the doubt. Once I was able to read her full story, I was so glad I picked her. When Liya was in seventh grade, she had to drop out of school due to the lack of funds. Her father died around the same time, when she was thirteen. This forced her family to split up and move in with relatives. Liya was fortunate enough to stay with her mother and they both moved into her uncle’s home where Liya was mistreated by her aunt. Liya was so young and already had such a tough life. She began selling vegetables at the market to provide for her and her family. Later on, Liya got married and had four children. Her husband’s business failed which ultimately ended her marriage. He was unable to provide for their family so he ended up leaving them. Liya learned about FINCA at the market one day and joined the nearest Village Bank. Liya began improving her business with only one loan. She increased her stock and began carrying a wide variety of vegetables which helped increase her profits. Liya said, “Ever since I started getting FINCA loans, my family has no...
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...do what nurses do with a smile on their face and I can’t wait for that moment to come. This has been a great experience and holds true to what Avila believes in and teaches their students. Some of Avila’s values that are relevant to helping others through microfinance are to prepare students for responsible lifelong contributions to the global community, and the importance of the worth, dignity, and potential of each human being. I feel like this experience has helped prepare me for lifelong contributions I will make in my community. I will always remember this opportunity and look back on this time in my life. Microfinance through FINCA shows the importance of the worth, dignity, and potential of each human being. It shows that every person deserves a chance to succeed. I look forward to helping more people through microfinance and tracking their progress.
Minny has been working as a maid since she was only 13 years old. Aibileen has always been Minny's best friend and they know everything about each other. Minny has 5 children that she works to care for, the oldest is 13, and already starting to work like her mom. She has had to toil
As a Latina growing up in New York City with parents from the Dominican Republic, I knew the difficulties of living in poverty. As a child, financial arguments were a common thing, budgets were strict and extra funds were low. However, when it came to education money was not a factor. Education was the solution to poverty, with a good education you’ll succeed and obtain a great job. I kept this mentality with me throughout my academic career. I completed my undergraduate studies in Rhetoric and Communications in hopes of starting a marketing career. That quickly changed when I started my first post-undergraduate job.
Maitri needs to focus on the cultivating relationships with their current donors. Maitri should ask donors if they would be capable of taking on more responsibility.3 Currently, select donors have a hand in bringing in potential donors through the dinners at Maitri. However, the potential donors may only come to those dinners and submit donations out of obligation to their friend/colleague, the Maitri donor sponsoring the dinner. Maitri donors can do more; perhaps assist outside of a fundraising capacity. They can head up a special project or assist in day-to-day operations. These donors may have their own particular skill sets that may prove to be invaluable to Maitri.4 Not only is stewardship of current donors less costly than seeking new prospects, but it also opens up communication for discussing Maitri’s community
She instantly knew what she wanted to do with her life, but it was a matter of being able to make a livable financial income. She sincerely states, “I cleaned my friends’ houses till I could find a job, I rode buses, I didn’t have a car and it was really sad coming from a ‘safe haven’... to go from bouncing around to friends’ houses, sleeping at random people’s houses. It was horrible.” She was only eighteen years of age. She in a sense lost the support of most of her family and she was forced to learn quite a bit about taking responsibility for herself so early in her life.
To begin with, Lawrence influences Sarah’s mentality in a positive way; by advising her to overcome the guilt, she has, allowing Sarah to help other people. Sarah constantly reminds herself about what happened on the beach,” Lawrence [insists] [that I move on]. [So] I set up a direct debit from my bank account to a couple of African charities” (Cleave 125). Lawrence feels that it is not healthy f...
Latika, from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, had a rough life as a child. With no mother or father, she had to learn how to take care of herself. Jamal and his brother, Salim met Latika when they were kids, and together, they took good care of each other. Difficult circumstances tore Latika and Jamal apart. Latika was taken by a gang leader and taken to a prostitution district. When Jamal finds her again a few years later, their happiness doesn’t last long because Salim kicks Jamal out to be with Latika. Despite Latika’s wish for Jamal to be with her, she tries to protect him and says “Latika: You want to do something for me? Jamal Malik: Anything. Latika: Then forget me!” Latika’s love for Jamal is so strong that she let him go knowing that he might not be able to get her out of the life she was living.In the end, Latika’s hope and will to survive is stronger than all the terrifying experiences she has been through while growing up.
Since she was starting to make money on her own her dad told her, “You don’t have to give me any money but from now on, I’m not going to give you any money either.” So for the rest of the years, she had to save up for school supplies, school clothes, and any other thing that she needed; she kept that money all year long, and unknowingly, started learning how to manage her money and learn responsibility.
Jeannette started to lose faith in her parents after they could no longer provide for her, and swore that she would make a better life for herself. “I swore to myself that it (her life) would never be like Mom’s…” (Walls 208) Jeannette has the idea to move to New York to escape her parents, and pursue her dream of being a journalist. She decides that her older sister, Lori, will have to escape with her, because Jeannette would never leave Lori alone with her parents. The next day, Jeannette buys a piggy bank to start an “escape fund”. To make money, Lori would draw and paint posters for kids at school and sell them for a dollar fifty. Jeannette would babysit and do other kids homework. She made a dollar per assignment and and babysat for a dollar an hour.
Every member of this class, this university, this collegiate atmosphere, has most likely accumulated debt to achieve higher education. I certainly had the feeling that entering into the University of Massachusetts as a freshmen this year would involve relatively little debt which I would pay off upon graduation–a simple affair in which I received an education for a fair price. Yet, looking even at the comparatively “small” expenditures I have to deal with, examples of educators, students, and parents all paint a portrait of the devastating and deceiving nature of debt involved in the collegiate system in this country. Systemically, culturally, and personally, the system of debt associated with virtually every modern college experience of all but the highest socioeconomic echelon wrings the resources of the average college student dry.
... sick people—then go be a nurse like other women—or just get married and be quiet” (Hansberry 38).
The medical field is filled with many rewarding jobs and one of those jobs is being a nurse: the job of taking care of people who are sick, injured, or old. Seems like a pretty easy task doesn’t it? Nursing takes time and skill to learn, but a lifetime to perfect it to the best ability anyone can. Being a nurse is one of the
... out for each patient to make sure they are okay and to do whatever they need to make sure they continue living healthily. I’m very passionate about my future as a nurse and have great intentions towards my education. It won’t be easy and I don’t expect it to be. There’s no looking back for me now. I know I’ve chosen the right profession and I’ll continue to have such enthusiasm about my future. I hope one day, I can fulfill my dreams of becoming a nurse and give back to the community.
...al initiatives and my goal is to establish an educational center that will focus on disadvantaged youth and their parents. I was the first in my family to attend college and I believe through helping others, they too can become “firsts.”
1.Christen, Robert Peck; Rosenberg, Richard & Jayadeva, Veena “Financial institutions with a double-bottom line: implications for the future of microfinance” (July 2004)
One of my mentors was able to show me life outside of poverty. They showed me doors of possibilities and started a fire in my heart that would set a blaze of zeal. Going from a life of no direction or goals to having a vision for my life and wanting to purse a better life for my future has done a lot for me. It’s important to help everyone in their current situation because you never know what the outcome will be for that individual. Not everyone has the ability and drive to get out of their current situation. Sometime people don’t want to change from their current situation. For me it was simple I wanted more for myself, I’m glad I made the choice to do something about it. It’s had a lasting effect on my life. My wife and two girls will never know poverty because of my life decision that I made. Making sure I got out of that environment and wanting something better in