Para Las Mujeres

Just for the record:

I believe in the equal regard of men and women.

I am a fan of traditional roles that play to the strengths of each gender.

I'm a defender of marriages that champion this.

For more than just genealogical purposes, I support the title of Mrs.

And while I don't feel like changing from a Ms. H. to a Mrs. B. has in any way impeded my value as an individual,

I'll admit:

Going from a one and only on the Internet, to one of 229,000 (in .39 seconds)* is causing me

a little bit of an identity crisis.

Maybe I'm more of a feminist (and narcissist) than I thought.

*Caution: Not all bearers of my married name place the same value on modesty as I prudishly do.
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On to other women-power subjects:

I don't know that I've ever really, truly detailed how this organization--where we spend our blood (ok not so much), sweat (much, much, MUCH), and tears (way too much)--works.

Yehu is a microfinance institution, with a focus on alleviating poverty through providing access to capital. The mission of the organization is to "empower rural socio-economically marginalized entrepreneurs through enhanced accessibility to sustainable financial services."

Translation: We offer small loans to the poorest of the poor so that they can start their own businesses.



What makes Yehu different from other microfinance institutions is their focus on the rural areas--the poorest of the poor. The target client is mostly female, because females tend to have a better repayment rate and, generally speaking, they find providing for their offspring more compelling than do their male counterparts. These women are generally living on roughly $2 a day. They have no collateral; and therefore they do not qualify for traditional loans.

So, that's where Yehu steps in.

Operating under Grameen Principles (which if you don't know much about Muhammad Yunus or his Grameen Bank, you should enlighten yourself--you'll be glad you did), Yehu organizes its clients into groups, centers and sub-branches. Each group consists of five women. Each center consists of roughly four groups. Each sub-branch consists of three or more centers.

All of the women in each group essentially apply for their loans together, and guarantee each others' loan. What this means is that if one woman defaults on her loan, the other four women must pay back that loan before anyone in the group can apply for a new loan.

It sounds a little unfair. But it works. Currently the repayment rate for the organization is around 95%. Not too shabby for loans with no collateral!

Also, the women must save a certain amount each week. This savings is also used as a sort of guarantee for the loan. If a woman cannot make a loan payment, she "off-sets" her amount due with an amount that is withdrawn from her savings account. The bank does not take deposits, but holds the money in an account to be used for this purpose.

Each center meets regularly. Depending on the center's schedule, the women meet weekly or bi-weekly to service their loans. A credit officer (employee of Yehu) will visit the center meeting. This person oversees the loan and savings payments, and verifies those payments in each client's "pass book." The money is generally handled by a center chief--a woman chosen to represent and vouch for the center--as well as the center treasurer and secretary. Ideally, these women are responsible to collect the money directly from each client and then take that money to the bank. The credit officer is there to oversee the process, collect documentation of the process, and to give some business training to the women.

Here's an example of how it works:

The first loan amount is 10,000 Kenyan shillings--about $130. After the first loan is successfully repaid, a larger loan can be borrowed. The average loan amount given is 20,000 Kenyan shillings. That's roughly $270. This money is life-changing to these women. Below is a picture of a woman that I interviewed while at the above center meeting. She talked about how her loan with Yehu helped her business to earn enough money for her to finish building her house out of bricks, and not mud.



It's amazing to me that just a few dollars can literally change the course of someone's life in a developing country. It's certainly given me reason to stop and think about my own spending and consumption habits. I've been given so much in my life. And it doesn't take much to give so much to someone else's life.

While the past eight months have had their adventures and challenges, when I really stop to think about it, it's quite satisfying to be part of something that is making a difference in the world. To me it's more than just teaching a woman how to fish...it's enabling, encouraging and championing her with every line she casts.

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Sometimes I read about things like these and I wonder how I can get involved. If you're one of those people, I've listed some sites below that might be of interest to you:

Yehu.org
Learn more about Yehu and how you can support its effort.

CHOICE Humanitarian
This is a Utah-based organization that has a presence in Kenya and several other countries throughout the world. They have several different ways for people to get involved in the international development scene.

Kiva
Support a rural entrepreneur of your own with an investment that will be repaid to you.