International Women's day pulling people out of poverty to the power of 5

Blogging for Social Good #Not sponsored

Friday 8th March is International Women’s Day and Good Return means business.

Business opportunities for poor women in the Asia Pacific, that is. This March, help 300 women lift themselves, their family, and their community out of poverty.

 Good Return is calling on Australians to help women in the developing world start their own businesses and help end poverty.

Good Return has set a target of funding 300 micro-loans to women, which has the power to change 1,500 people’s lives.

I am already a supporter of Good Return and after my first loan was fully repaid last year I 're-invested' it into another micro-loan. It is a small amount of money to me but added together with other 'loans' it has the potential to change lives dramatically.

Guy Winship, Good Return CEO notes: “In these poor communities, children are growing up in poverty and with little education, yet in these same communities are smart women with business ideas but no resources to make them a reality. 

“When we pull one woman out of poverty, she takes four other people with her. We have the power to make a massive difference.”

As 200 million people globally do not have access to financial services, there is a real opportunity for Australians to play a role this International Women’s Day.

You could help change the life of a woman like Candy in the Philippines, whose dream is to send all of her children to college. Receiving a loan meant she could finally build a business and provide for her family.

“Before, my husband and I had no permanent work, no steady income,” she said. “When I got my first loan to start raising pigs, I was so happy, and proud!”

She told us that it was empowering to finally have someone believe in her – previously, she wasn’t even able to get a loan from money lenders.

Now, she also has a small business making peanut butter, and all of her children are in school – the oldest two have graduated college and one is a teacher.

I know it takes less than 5 mins to create a lifetime of change for a family .Making a loan at www.goodreturn.org is easy.

The longest bit is actually choosing which woman and the business venture you want to support. Loans start at just $25 (and $5 admin fee). It is a very direct and powerful way to make a difference to end poverty.

PS - To date 54 loans are funded

I’ve started change with a single step and registered for CARE’s Walk In Her Shoes challenge  to walk 10,000 steps a day from 18-24 March 2013. Sponsor me to help women and girls lift themselves out of poverty! 

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