Hi. I wish I wasn't such a dreamer. I wish I could actually DO things like some great people do instead of producing mere ideas. Still, if an idea strikes a chord with some brave soul, things could change quite dramatically.
There are hundreds of people originally from saligao who would love to help their village but have no idea how to, apart from donating for the upkeep of roofs. Lets not reject their 'pennies' - there's a lot of love behind every penny. I browsed through the references you gave; they are all to do with interest and profit, issues that absolutely would not arise if the capital was donated - not lent- to the bank and then on to the needy. The 'bank' would then really be a completely charitable organisation. That's a pretty unique concept. It is important that the loans are supervised - I think I covered that (and the above for that matter) in my last email. Lets just think about it for a day or two. There would be no better way to harness the goodwill of the expatriate population whilst helping the poor develop in a structured fashion. I, for instance, would very happily support a child through his school years if that help was not squandered and the need was genuine. There's precious nothing else I can do, sadly - apart from producing ideas that some might find idiotic. [email protected] > From: [email protected] > Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:52:24 +0530 > Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! > To: [email protected] > > The only problem with money is that we can easily calm our conscience > into thinking that we've done our bit by throwing across some pennies! > Also, money without direction can cause problems of its own. > I think we owe our village, our State, country and planet more than > that... > > If microfinance could work, it would be very good in Saligao too. But > there is a contentious side to that too: > > Does Microfinance Help the Hard-core Poor? > http://www.microcapital.org/does-microfinance-help-the-hard-core-poor/ > > Hard Questions for Microfinance: How Much Profit is Too Much Profit? > http://www.nextbillion.net/blog/hard-questions-for-microfinance-how-much-profit-is-too-much-prof > > Microfinance, it's not all good > http://philanthropy.blogspot.com/2007/09/microfinance-its-not-all-good.html > > FN > > Frederick Noronha :: +91-9822122436 :: +91-832-2409490 > > On 15 January 2011 12:22, dilip dacruz <[email protected]> wrote: > > Agree Fred, but you seem almost embarrassed to say we can share money too. > > Yes, cash. > > > > Patsy and Yvonne made me re-visit articles on micro-finance, a concept that > > some readers might not be familiar with. By lending small amounts of money > > (20 USD) to the extremely poor, Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunis (Grameen > > Bank) was able to break the poverty trap and free some families. Some did > > extremely well. There have been many, I would argue, valid criticisms of > > micro-finance. Mainly, interest rates are very high (though the capital is > > very very small). > > > > Considering the above, if we can donate - not lend - 20USD a year, it seems > > likely we can make a big difference because interest rates wont apply. > > However, micro-financing is more than just donating. We should adhere to > > some of the principles adopted by Grameen bank. There are 16 principles > > which can be adapted to Goa. Donating a mere 20-50 USD a year to such a > > scheme would ensure small amounts of money (interest-free) went into > > structured personal development programs, not a tot of fenny. (Not saying > > the poor are all drunkards, please, though alcohol is a major, major > > scourge in our village.) > > > > Here's a link that might be food for thought. Does microfinance exist in > > Saligao, Fred? > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank > > > > [email protected] > > -- > Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe email [email protected] -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected]
