Her name is Maria

I lose focus sometimes. Does that ever happen to you? I re-read my last posting and was struck by how far I had missed the point. It was like a voice prompted me saying:

Her name is Maria!

It seems I was describing the forest without identifying each of the solid, enterprising "trees". The micro-credit program is a total success because of the hard-working individuals who have the ideas, put in the work, market the products, pay back the loan and start the process all over again. And each of the "trees" have names.

The owner of this poultry micro-credit enterprise is Maria Esperanza Mendoza. She is the third person from the left in this picture. (l to r; Orlando Montiel, Nicaraguan Micro-Credit Project Officer, Wilmer Correa, Nicaraguan Interpreter, Maria, Maria's daughter and Merry Fredrick, Self-Help's Executive Director)

So, next time I mention "micro-credit enterprises" just remember that I am talking and thinking about Francisca Lopez, Theresa Espinoza, Magdelina Gonzales, Eva Chavarria, Maria Antonia Guiardado and hundreds like them in Ghana and Nicaragua who work every day to improve their family's life forever.

Chicken for Supper

My family and I had chicken on the grill for supper last night. It was very good and there was a lot of it. But I almost forgot to remember. Protein sources (beef, chicken, pork, eggs, lamb, legumes, etc.), while commonplace in the U.S., aren't in most of the world.

It wasn't that long ago when I was in Nicaragua visiting some of Self-Help's 'micro-credit enterprises.' That term makes it sound so clean and efficient. Here's a picture of a very successful micro-credit enterprise. It's a chicken coop, if you can't make it out... concrete, posts, tarp and wire. But this business provides eggs, meat, fertilizer and income to a woman and her family. Because of the $100 investment we (was it you?) made, this family has more than a chance to break the poverty cycle... they have hope -- hope that tomorrow will be better than yesterday, hope that their daughter can stay in school past the age of 12, hope that this new-found financial independence can lead to more.

We're not talking about building up their 401k for retirement. Financial independence (for them) means being free of the high interest charged by the local money-lenders. It means standing on your own. It means being self-reliant. And that tastes pretty good no matter where you live.

My New Favorite Quote

This one quote crystallized for me the difference between a relief and a development organization (like Self-Help). It was contained in a great article by Thomas G. Donlan in the June 1 issue of Barron's (p. 39, if you would like to read it for yourself).

My new favorite quote is from Michael Doane, leader of Monsanto's sustainability team. See if you agree. Here's a paragraph from Mr. Donlan's article:

"Credit and logistics are essential, but once they are provided, local farmers can enter the global cash economy. This kind of aid turns compassion into investment. Says Doane: 'If a food-aid program delivers a ton of U.S. grain to a village in Malawi, it costs about $700. If they grow a ton of grain in the village, they can do it for about $70.' The money earned in the local market can buy more seed and more fertilizer. It pays for local farmers and everyone in the local economy."

Put your $70 with Self-Help and do $700 worth of good! That's a good investment.

Just being kids

I've included this photo from our recent (March 09) trip to Nicaragua. It was my first time visiting Self-Help's in-country staff and the programs they administer. I was floored. They do so much with so little.

Those familiar with Self-Help's programs know that we have feeding centers that provide a once-a-day porridge of corn meal, a pinch of barley malt and a little sugar for pre-schoolers in rural communities. The kids love it. It does much to battle malnutrition at an important developmental time for these children. While there are plenty of cases of hungry and diseased kids (a subject of another blog), I thought you might like to see the faces of kids who have been coming for some time. Here's one such photo... of kids being kids.

Volunteer Power

It has been over six months since I started this blog (see the date stamps on the previous posts). I could claim that it is because my life is so hectic that I didn't get to it sooner. That would not be true. The truth is that Self-Help operates with and depends upon the help of volunteers. They are the ones that carry much of the work load. That's one reason Self-Help has the impact of an organization twice its size. Our Board of Directors, for example, serve without compensation -- an almost unheard of practice. They also pay their travel when they visit our projects in Ghana and Nicaragua. And many of our fund raising events simply would not happen without volunteers. And that includes one skilled volunteer who knows how to connect a blog to our web site. Thanks to all who serve.

Raking Leaves and World Hunger

It is fall (or autumn, for the purist) where I live. It's an especially beautiful season for those not acquainted with the temperate zone. Once a year, we experience cool nights and warm days, maturing crops and changing leaf colors. Depending on the tree and the variety, we get beautiful shades of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, browns and more. And those stunning leaves all fall down -- which brings me to the subject of this post.

Raking is required. See, if you leave the leaves -- you end up with a mess. With the coming snow, they get wet and heavy and eventually kill the grass they fall on. So, they must be picked up. While some choose the mechanical methods like leaf blowers, lawn mowers and neighbor kids, I prefer the old-fashioned way. It involves a pair of gloves, some leaf bags, a rake and a sunny afternoon.

As I was trying to get as many leaves as possible in bag #6, my mind drifted off to world hunger. That's when I realized the similarities. How could sweating on a 50 degree day in my comfortable back yard apply to one of the major challenges on this globe?

You see no matter how careful I was; no matter how well-intended I was; no matter how diligent, how patient or how energetic I was -- THERE WERE STILL LEAVES THAT DIDN'T STAY IN THE BAG. I simply could not capture every single one. And that's when it hit me. I was focused on the wrong thing. I was not concerned (or even thankful) in the least with the thousands of leaves I had bagged... but was fixated on the tens that weren't. Just like world hunger -- only the numbers are reversed.

While we might not be able to save everyone in the world from starvation, we can save a few. Let's start there. Let's help them so they can help their neighbors and so their neighbors can help someone else. There are organizations making a lasting difference in the world. One of them is Self-Help International.

It may not be a quick fix, but once those leaves are in the bag -- then we can start the process of rounding up the rest.

... but he doesn't know the territory!

That's a line from the opening scene of the musical, 'The Music Man' by Meredith Willson. My family and I went to see it yesterday. (My son was in the cast.) And it started me thinking about Ghana and Nicaragua.

How can a play written over 50 years ago by a Julliard graduate about Iowa pride and stubbornness apply to starving people half-a-world away? How could a small-town Midwesterner understand a universal truth about world hunger... and then set it to music?

If you are not a student of musical theatre (and why aren't you?), you might not know that Mr. Willson wrote that song as a way to introduce his lead character, Professor Harold Hill, to the audience. You see, Professor Hill is a disreputable travelling salesman who gives other travelling salesmen a bad name. In today's business vernacular, he wouldn't know the target audience; their customs, value-system, beliefs, traditions, mores and history.

International relief organizations can suffer from the same disease. Don't misunderstand me. I believe there is a need for group that sweep in after a natural or geo-political disaster to provide immediate care. That can often mean the difference in people living one more day. But that approach's strength is its weakness. Because of their "transient" nature (and mission), the lasting benefit may not be felt. It can be like a pebble thrown in the ocean. Those closest to the entry point can feel and see its effect, but those farther away can not... and the ripples just don't last.

That's why there is the need for development organizations who commit to a region and a group of people for as long as they need. That's where real progress is made. Funds and trained staff are focused on an area until lasting change occurs. This growing self-reliance is the key to permanent improvement. That is the underlying theme to Greg Mortenson's book, Three Cups of Tea; One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time. Greg literally stumbled in to a Pakistani village and uncovered (discovered?) his way to defeat terrorism -- through education.

Self-Help International is a development organization dedicated to alleviating poverty and malnutrition by helping people help themselves. They certainly know the territory. Do you know them? www.selfhelpinternational.org