Going Micro
James 2V16
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is that?" James 2:16
AIM OF THE HOPE FARMS PROJECT
The Hope Farms Project helps poor and destitute women to establish a poultry trade through:
A] Buying and selling of matured chickens at the local market.
B] Raising broiler Chickens for 8-12 weeks and then selling them to consumers.
C] Raising hens for egg production and sales.
These women can start with as little a 10-15 hens or broilers, requiring only a backyard and a small investment for feed in order to embark on the road to self sufficiency and independence.
Successful women traders are able to stand on their own feet, support themselves, pay their children’s school fees and rebuild their lives. The aim of the HOPE FARMS project is to bring HOPE back into the lives of these women and their families.
Thousands of hard-working women in the third world want to set themselves up in their neighborhoods and trade. Whether by running a farm or their own small business - but are unable to do so due to lack the finance, collateral. equity, credentials or support in their current situations to do so.
Former UN Secretary General , Kofi Annan said; "The great challenge before us is to address the constraints that exclude people from full participation in the financial sector... Together, we can and must build inclusive financial sectors that can help people improve their lives."
The effects of micro-finance have been well-documented by many organizations including UNCDF Micro-finance.
Their comprehensive studies show that;
* Micro-finance helps very poor households meet basic needs and protect against risks;
* The use of financial services by low-income households is associated with improvements in
household economic welfare and enterprise stability or growth
* By supporting women's economic participation, micro-finance helps to empower women, thus
promoting gender-equity and improving household well-being;
* For almost all significant impacts, the magnitude of impact is positively related to the length of
time that clients have been in the program."
Financial Micro*Empowerment [funding] helps to reduce vulnerability and increase both earning and savings potential. This allows poor households to make the transformation from "every-day survival" to "planning for the future. As a result households are able to send their children to school for longer periods and to make greater investments in their children's education.
An increase in income also leads to better nutrition and better living conditions, which translates into a lower incidence of poor health. Women can also afford and pay for health care services when needed, rather than go without or having to wait until their health seriously deteriorates.
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