Give a woman $10 and she can build a house

A woman came and visited me yesterday. She is 33 years old and has been on her own since she was 12 year old. She came to visit me because she is an example of someone who took a small micro-loan and was successful. As we sat she told me the story of her getting a loan in 2012 for $10 American dollars. How she used that money to go out and purchase 3 pairs of sandals. Once she sold those sandals she took the prophet and purchased more. Eventually she had enough to purchase curtains (the Haitians hang them on in their doorways to keep out the dust and give some privacy while keeping their doors open). She continued to grow her business and eventually was able to purchase oil, rice, and beans. She said that after the earthquake, her family was displaced. However, they received a Samaritan's purse tent-home and had been living it in since 2010. She said after her business started to take off, she started to purchase cement. Then blocks. And finally metal for her roof. After 3 years of working she was able to build a 1 room home for her 11 year old son, her husband, and herself. 

But here is the catch. Because she built this home, she no longer has the resources to continue to sell.  Her business is closed. 

I asked her if she thought that she made a good decision in building the house. She said a resounding, "Yes!". She said that the tent was so threadbare that you could see the sun shining through it. She said that when it rains, and it rains hard in Haiti, the rain would poor into her house. She told me that she may not have a business but they have a safe place to live and to be a family. 

So here is the struggle. Our Elevate program is helping people, it is. It is allowing our borrower to get ahead and it is mentoring them on how to let God get the glory in their lives and businesses. But the micro-loans in Haiti need to be done differently. Elevate's micro-loans need to continue to be given out but I think the heart of Elevate is the relationships that we have with our borrowers. And when we have a relationship with someone and they fall, we reach down and we pick them up. We believe that it's through relationships that we can really make a difference. 

 

Our relationship has just started with this woman but we look forward to having her part of our Elevate program in the very near future. I can't wait to see how God uses her talents to bring Him glory.