One $75 Loan Provides Hope for a Family, Self-Confidence to a Fifth Grader in Tanzania

Twelve-year-old Atupenda hopes to become a teacher one day. This fifth grader attends school in Kilolo, Tanzania. Her favorite subject is English, and she plays netball after school with her friends.

Her mother, Atuitie, recently paid back her first loan of $75 to the Mama Bahati Foundation, a Five Talents microfinance partner based in Iringa, Tanzania. She used the loan to increase the inventory of her small vegetable store, which resulted in new customers and increased sales. The additional income for the family has given Atupenda a new sense of self-confidence.

“The loan has enabled our family to have better clothes to wear,” Atupenda said.

The Mama Bahati Foundation (MBF) currently has 740 clients. The average initial loan size is $54, and the average repayment rate is 99 percent. MBF was registered as a Tanzanian non-governmental organization (NGO) in February 2006, in order to provide microfinance services to women in, and around, Iringa. The project is named after a poor Tanzanian woman called Mama Bahati or “Mother of Chance,” who used a loan of $8 to break out of the cycle of poverty. The project is the idea of the former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Tanzania Donald Mtetemela.

Because of the foundation’s work and her mother’s success, Atupenda is excited about the new possibilities open to her. Being able to pay for the education necessary to become a teacher is now more than a wish, it is a reality.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry. For more information and to donate, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

This story is the second story in a five-week series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

Bill Eggbeer Joins Five Talents Board of Directors

Five Talents International announces Bill Eggbeer has been named to the board of directors. Eggbeer is a Director with BDC Advisors LLC in Washington, D.C., where he leads the firm’s physician engagement practice and provides consulting services to healthcare providers and health plans in strategy, business development and facilitating complex business relationships.

Eggbeer has most recently volunteered with Five Talents to help develop a three-year strategy, which will be launched in 2009.

“Bill brings a wealth of strategic planning knowledge and expertise,” said Fred Kalema-Musoke, Five Talents chairman of the board. “We are grateful for his passion for our mission, and we are excited to welcome him to the board. Five Talents is looking forward to benefitting from his insights, wisdom and counsel as we celebrate 10 years of service and plan for the future growth of our Christian microenterprise ministry to the poor.”

Eggbeer began his career in Booz Allen’s healthcare practice. He has also worked as a senior executive at Marriott and at Manor Care.

Eggbeer holds a Master of Management (MBA) degree in Marketing and Health Services Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was named a Distinguished Scholar and the Outstanding Graduate in Health Services Management. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies with honors from Lawrence University.

Eggbeer is married and has three sons. He is active in his community and his church, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal in Bethesda, Md.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that in turn employs at least six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry. For more information and to donate, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Ministry Wraps Five Talents with Prayer Shawls

Three years ago, it was an answer to prayer that led Ginna Vickory to the St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church Prayer Shawl Guild in Portland, Ore. Now, it’s the gift of prayer that has led her to merge this ministry with the work of Five Talents.

A prayer shawl is hand-crocheted using a pattern of three to symbolize the Holy Trinity. As members crochet the shawls, they pray for the recipients with the desire that each shawl is a blend of prayers, talents, gifts and grace. It is a tangible way for them to show God’s love to all of his people.

Vickory has been a Five Talents prayer partner for about six months. During that time, she received many prayer requests and noted several individuals that she thought should receive shawls. This summer, she connected with Five Talents’ prayer coordinator to make the match – sending one of the prayer shawls to East Africa for Esther Nakamatte, the new manager of Five Talents Uganda, and in September, she sent one to Mei Cen, the executive director of GERHATI in Indonesia. The prayer shawl guild hopes to share their gifts with others in the Five Talents family in the future.

“I was interested in the prayers that were being sent out and thought that my interest in Five Talents was a good match,” she said. “Five Talents allows people to maintain their dignity and to take care of themselves. No one likes hand outs. And, the money continues to be given out as loans are paid back.”

Vickory is all too familiar with the desire to be productive in a dignified manner. In 2001, she suffered a severe head injury after falling from a horse. For her, this accident has resulted in difficulty processing large amounts of stimulation, focusing her eyes, reading and coping with noise. But, because crocheting is a neutral activity, it doesn't require Vickory to focus her eyes – she only has to use the muscle memory in her fingers.

Vickory recalls her first prayer shawl meeting at St. Gabriel's: “A dear woman was trying to teach me to knit, she said. I heard her words, I saw her hands, I saw my hands, but my fingers refused to move. I cried in the car after the meeting. Then, I went to the local yarn shop, bought a crocheting book and slowly trained my hands to follow the directions.”

To date, the St. Gabriel’s prayer shawl guild, which has 30 members, has given out more than 200 shawls. Recipients have been individuals who are ill, have recently lost a loved one, or are heading into war. The guild has also given shawls to celebrate graduations and to honor new mothers.

“Often, I produce the most shawls on the weeks when I am unable to ‘be productive’ doing ordinary things,” Vickory said. “I think God has a great sense of humor. Before my accident, I doubt if I would have taken the time to learn how to knit and crochet. Now, it is all an adventure combining textures, colors and patterns.”

Vickory estimates that she personally makes two to four prayer shawls a month, investing about 15 hours of her time in each one.

“I see prayer shawls as an opportunity to give someone a hug,” Vickory said. “The person doesn't need to talk, or explain anything. It is just there, warm and soft, whenever he or she needs it.”

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry. For more information and to donate, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Jobs for Indonesian Adults Bring Hope to Children

Five-year-old Esther is thankful for milk. Since her mother, Phiong, joined GERHATI in Jakarta, Indonesia, and expanded her cake business, her family of six can now afford to buy nutritious food and to pay for Esther’s school fees – she’s in kindergarten this year!

Phiong owed a loan shark $820. Without the means to pay it back, she became desperate and contemplated committing suicide.

That’s when members of the Anggrek Ciracas loan group stepped in to help. They encouraged her and prayed for her, asking God to strengthen her and to help her overcome her family’s problems and improve their finances. Phiong received a $43 loan to purchase the supplies she needed to continue operating her small business — selling traditional cakes at a school in East Jakarta.

Five Talents partner GERHATI, a microenterprise development program based in Jakarta, also helped by securing weekly cake orders for her business. Phiong has gradually been able to pay off her debt and has now started attending services at Ciracas Church.

Her daughter Esther looks forward to the GERHATI project officer’s visits to their home. She calls him Uncle Yuven.

“I’m always excited when Uncle Yuven comes because he is nice, and he loves me and my mom just like the Lord Jesus does. One day Uncle came, and I shouted, ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Lord Jesus is coming, Mommy!’”

With the support of GERHATI, Phiong no longer has debt and can pay for her children’s education.

“Now, I can drink milk and pay my school tuition fees,” Esther said. “Mom said she will start selling noodles so that my brother, Yohanes, and I can continue to go to school. I pray that the Lord Jesus continues to help us.”

This story is the first in a series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

In 2002, GERHATI (which is an acronym in the local language for “Gateway of Hope for Human Transformation”) was conceived and developed by Five Talents in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Singapore and All Saints Church in Jakarta. GERHATI is working in two communities in Jakarta: Bekasi and Cipayung.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry. For more information and to donate, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Nov. 9 Sermon by Father Jeff MacKnight

Father Jeff MacKnight
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church
Bethesda, Maryland


Today’s scriptures are full of doom, gloom, and judgment – not our favorite topics in Holy Scripture. The prophet Zephaniah warns:

“Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

If we change “silver” and “gold” to “stocks” and “bonds,” we have a stunningly prescient view of our own economic mess today! It never ceases to amaze me how these scriptures, written 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, continue to be relevant today.

But today I wish to focus on the Parable of the Talents, and on our new outreach partner, Five Talents International. This well-known parable is a practical guide to God’s will for us, especially when it comes to how we use our money and other resources God has given us.

It’s like Jesus’ advice against hiding your light under a bushel – God clearly doesn’t want us to hoard our wealth for ourselves and our own security. If this economic crisis is teaching us anything, it is that our hordes of wealth are not as safe, not as secure as we thought. They will never be the source of true security and peace. God does not approve when the “haves” of this world hoard, while the “have-nots” starve.

The Parable of the Talents reminds us not to hoard and bury what God has entrusted to us, but to use it, invest it, and yes, take some risks with it, so the wealth can grow and all can benefit. Even putting the talent in the bank to collect interest is better than burying it in the ground, we are told (especially if the bank deposit is FDIC insured). Throughout the Bible, “spreading the wealth around” is not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.

Today we focus on Five Talents International, and St. Dunstan’s new investment in it. St. Dunstan’s has committed $8,000 per year for three years, for a micro-lending program in a Dominican Republic village called La Barquita.

Thursday night I attended a meeting to learn more about Five Talents – a nine-year-old organization of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is patron. It is run by a small professional staff in Vienna, Virginia, and London, England. Five Talents is currently helping 20,000 of the poorest people around the world to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We were told how one woman got a $60 loan for her waffle-cone business. She bought a stove and several waffle irons, increased her production dramatically, hired several new workers, and now makes 46,000 waffle-cones per month. That’s a lot of ice cream cones.

Bill Eggbeer, now a board member of Five Talents – will tell us more after church about this phenomenal program, and what our investment – our talents – will do in La Barquita to fufill the Five Talents mission: “Fighting Poverty, Creating Jobs, Transforming Lives.” It’s amazing what a small loan, often just $142, can do in poor countries: actually start a business, support a family, get children in school, create new jobs, and perhaps most importantly, restore dignity to human beings – each one a child of God.

Thinking about these small, important loans, I remembered something I haven’t thought about in years. When I was starting college 30 years ago, I needed to make money to get myself through. I could play the piano and sing, so I thought of working in a piano bar. But I needed some sound equipment. So I went to my old accordion teacher, who owned a small music store. He lent me a couple of hundred dollars to buy a used sound system and microphone. I started working weekends, and soon was able to pay off my loan, and get the rest of what I needed. I played and sang a lot of Friday and Saturday nights to get myself through college.

I was blessed when someone took a chance and invested in me, so I could start a little business and put myself through school.

Would that all God’s children around the world could be given that chance, to become self-supporting and live a life of dignity. AMEN.

Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance

During the next five weeks, we’ll be sharing stories from the children of Five Talents’ entrepreneurs.

You’ll meet Akot from Sudan – a 10-year-old boy who is now attending school, thanks to the income from his mom’s food business in Lietnhom. Esther, who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, is all smiles as she talks about her mom’s business. Why? Because now she gets to drink milk everyday! And, Maria from Kasubi, Uganda, now attends school with confidence – dressed in her school uniform – because of the income from her mom’s vegetable stand.

That’s what makes Five Talents unique. Person by person, loan by loan, we help liberate the God-given talents of poor individuals and families and give them a chance to make something better of their lives. And, it’s the children of these microentrepreneurs who will feel the difference for a lifetime.

By providing parents with small loans, they are able to send their children to school, provide them with healthy meals and offer a safe living environment.

I hope you’ll be encouraged by the impact small loans are making on the lives of the entrepreneurs as well as their children!

And, this Christmas, we’re making it easy for you to join the effort. Instead of giving another sweater, you can provide a hand up to a family with the gift of a microloan. Making a difference, one mom at a time.

* Give a small loan in honor of a friend or family member.
* In appreciation, we’ll send you a holiday card featuring the child of a Five Talents’ entrepreneur to give as a gift.
* Visit http://www.fivetalents.org/content.asp?contentid=585 to view recognition of your gift. (And if you let us know who the recipient is, we'll post their name as well!)
* Know that in six months, your loan will be given out again to another deserving entrepreneur!

For more information, visit www.FiveTalents.org, email kelliross@fivetalents.org or call (703) 242-6016 or (800) 670-6355.

This Sunday (Nov. 16) is Five Talents Sunday!

Just a reminder that this Sunday -- yes, in just six days -- is Five Talents Sunday!

Join Five Talents to help lift villages out of crushing poverty, create jobs and transform lives in the world’s poorest regions.

Nov. 16 is the date that churches around the world preach on Christ’s “Parable of the Five Talents” (Matthew 25:14-30). Experts on microfinance are available to speak to your church or organization.

For more information or to schedule a Five Talents speaker, call (800) 670-6355, email Joann Barron at joannbarron@fivetalents.org or visit www.FiveTalents.org.

Dignity

Dignity.

This is the one word I want people to remember when they think about the plight of the poorest in our neighborhood, in our country and in our world.

It is a shame that we continue to overlook the gifts and talents of those who are poor. We still see them as lazy, uneducated, always making bad choices, needing our help to survive. This view of the poor is simply wrong. The description of the poor I have just given describes me and many of my friends and colleagues on occasion.

So, why is it that as Christians we sometimes see the poor as a group of people that need us to solve their problems? In graduate school, we called this the “Messiah” complex. It’s like taking an old saying and putting a twist to it, “We are from an affluent church and we are here to help.”

Does help mean giving out plastic sunglasses to children in a village in Sudan when they have little to eat? Is throwing candy to a group of children from a bus that is leaving a village really a smart idea. Some think it’s cute to watch these children scramble and then devour the treats. I think it’s demeaning. And, quite frankly, I am tired of seeing these kinds of things over and over again.

What about a development project that doesn’t involve any of the people in the community only those coming from the outside? How about building a school and never involving the local labor who are desperate for work and actually have the right knowledge?

During the summer, a rival clan, who had some disagreements over cattle, burned down a village in the Wau district of Sudan. Five Talents International along with the Episcopal Diocese of Wau and several other international organizations, including World Relief and World Concern, had established a microcredit and savings program in this village. More than 350 members had saved about 10,000 US dollars over about 18 months in their village bank. When the clan burned down the village, one of the buildings left standing was the bank and the money was safe. Why?

The primary reason was because it was their money and it was their bank. We didn’t put any outside loan capital into the bank; they owned it all. The consortium of organizations only assisted with training to start the group savings project and mentor them as it grew.

I believe, as does everyone else associated with the program, that if the outsiders had controlled the program, dictated the design of the program and put all the money into it without involving the community - the money and the bank would have disappeared when the village was raided.

Santino, the chairman of the village bank, said this. “If you grow your own grain, you will be careful how you use it. If the grain is given to you, you can finish it in a few days.”

Independence creates dignity not dependency. Ownership creates opportunity for the poor to develop their own skills and talents.

On Nov. 16, many congregations in most of the mainline denominations will read the parable of the talent (Matthew 25:14-30). The second verse in that parable is, “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability.”

This is a very powerful statement, “each according to his own ability.” I am convinced that this passage says that God gives us all abilities and that we are to use them to help ourselves, our families and our communities. This is a very liberating message for the destitute and really for all of us.

When we give away things to the poor, when we run the project for them instead of with them, I believe we are crushing this important message of empowerment. We leave instead the poor dependent and feeling unworthy and demeaned.

I hope you will think and reflect upon this parable Nov. 16, which we have called Five Talents Sunday. We have developed curriculum for Sunday Schools and other materials for those interested in finding ways to serve with the poor instead of doing everything for the poor.

Craig Cole is the Executive Director of Five Talents International, a member of the Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.