High risk loans

Yesterday we had a meeting with 8 of Elevate's higher risk loans. Most of these ladies are single mamas that are struggling to meet the basic needs of their family. Our meeting was to discuss the "how's" of business. This included evangelizing, marketing, money management, and customer service. 

    Look at this beautiful group!

We asked one of our successful Elevate loan recipients, Chrismene (you may remember her from one of our posts on fb, she sells underwear), to come and share her story and to ENCOURAGE the ladies. She  was great and the other ladies were really receptive to what she was saying. 

  Here is Chrismene in her element

We also discussed with them the DREAM and VISION we have for them. We explained that we know that their current loan will not generate enough profit to support their families. However, this first loan is helping us learn what kind of person they are, these are things that cannot be taught. We are watching to see if they are willing to work, if they understand the importance of paying back a loan and the attitude that they do these things with. So far, every one of these ladies (and one gentleman whose wife was unable to come) is doing a phenomenal job on all of these aspects which means they will qualify for another loan once this one is paid off. 

We told them that we are in this for the long haul. Our goal is to help them get STAND ON THEIR OWN FEET within the next 4-5 years. For three of these ladies, this commitment means helping with food, housing, and school for their children in addition to the micro-loan. 

                                          "He is rich or poor according to what he is, 

                                                   not according to what he has." 

                                                          Henry Ward Beecher

My favorite part was watching the difference between the ladies that have just recently joined the program compared to those that have been part of it for the last year. The new ones had difficulty even sharing their name and the business that they do with the group. They were embarrassed, one in particular could not look anyone in the eye nor could she finish her sentence. The ladies who had been part of the program for a while were able to articulate well and some even asked questions! 

Please continue to pray for these ladies in particular. They have a long road, but if they are willing to do their part, I have incredibly HOPE for them.