"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." Dilip......never, ever underestimate the power of dreams and ideas......and yours are always exceptional!! What always impresses me about you and your ideas is that they certainly aren't "mere".......they always have lots of thought and substance, and "heart" in them. There's always a lot of feeling when you communicate your thoughts and ideas. OK, I hope I've embarassed you sufficiently with all this lavish praise. This, of course, in no way, discounts anyone else's contributions. We all make very valid and useful points....most of the time! Rico, I was a little disappointed with your observation that >we can easily calm our conscience into thinking that we've done our bit by >throwing across some pennies! To all those reading this comment from you, and having the same mindset as Dilip (myself included).....it's not only hurtful, but would make anyone seriously thinking about coming aboard this plan, think twice.....just because of the insinuation that they may not be doing much to help anyone or any cause by "throwing across some pennies.".....very derogatory, in my opinion. It is also not correct for you to judge anyone's intention behind making a donation. In most cases, at least as far as my knowledge goes, people who choose to make donations of any kind are usually deeply caring individuals; and not people who are trying to calm their conscience! As Dilip rightly points out, despite the best intentions that many expats may have, there is little else they can do to be of practical help to the people of their own village (our beloved Saligao, in this case) than making the decision to send some of their (incidentally, hard-earned, in many cases) money for those who may need it.
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. Once again, Dilip, there is no way anyone in their right mind would see your ideas as anything less than noble and extremely generous. Sadly, there will always be those who will shoot any good idea/suggestion, even though they may not be able to come up with anything as good or better, themselves! And, you are absolutely right about the fact that anyone who decides to send money to the village, would want to ensure that it is used for some worthy cause, and not squandered. That's perfectly valid. Which brings me to the next important point......(perhaps, mainly for you, Rico, to think about) Is there anyone in the village who is willing to assume responsibility to oversee a project like this. I, personally, do not see Saligao's expat community cringing at the thought of sending across a few of their pennies to help people in the village who may need it. But how this is all going to be co-ordinated, locally, is of prime importance. The best idea that comes to my mind right now is the possibility of setting up a committee for the purpose. Once this is done, I can definitely see it work. Rico, I like the way you've listed your dreams. All of this is possible, if, as I've stated above, there is a committee to spearhead the wise (for want of a better word right now) use of monetary donations. (I really like this idea! Interest is a real killer, as we all know, I'm sure - in one way or another.) Long live the idealists, and dreamers (of which I am one)!! Without their great ideas, the rest of the population would have nothing to build on! Patsy ________________________________ From: dilip dacruz <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, January 17, 2011 10:11:36 AM Subject: RE: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! 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 >f > > 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] -- 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]
