2023 has begun with opportunities to invest in the lives of at-risk children and orphans, and women in difficult situations globally. iGive Global is pleased to be able to invest in these people and lift the barriers that prevent them from becoming all that they can be. In this update we’ll share about the latest giving to orphans and women in the first quarter of 2023.
Hope Haven Belize
The first highlight to report was that I was able to visit in person one of the children’s homes and community centers that we support in Belize. In late January, I was able to visit Hope Haven in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, Belize. The mission is doing great things for resident children as well as community children through their support and education services. It is always great to see firsthand what is going on. I was a ble to meet the director of the after-school programs who is in charge of the support and education services. This will be a key mission to continue to support in the year ahead.
Solopreneur Microfinance Loans
One of our other key focuses is on women, particularly single women and single-parent moms, who are starting or trying to grow small businesses to support themselves and their families. We choose to do this through Kiva.org which has local partners on location in many countries to help coordinate and provide support and training to women who receive loans.
Each loan is repaid over time with monthly repayments and we can then invest in others in similar situations that are seeking loans. We really love this approach because each loan recipient goes through a local interview process and is then supported and coached by a local coordinator. This approach keeps loan management costs down and provides the best local support to those receiving a loan. As well, for each loan, we are not the sole loan provider but are partnering with others in the Kiva community to together create the loan needed.
So far in the first quarter of this year, we have contributed to the loans for 12 women and have given nearly $2000 in loan funds. We also added some loans to support refugees and displaced persons (IDPs). Women in these countries have been part of our loans: Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador, Jordan, Guatemala, Palestine, Columbia, and Israel.
Currently, we have 46 active loans being used and in the process of repayment. These can be from as small as a $25 loan to something much larger which is a few hundred dollars. Our loans can be viewed on the Kiva site here.
We also support Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO) which has 8 orphanages in Ecuador. Again, the priority is on places where local personnel are in place to provide oversight, leadership, and responsible, ethical support. OSSO is meeting the needs of well over 100 children.
Here are a few reasons why children end up in orphanages:
- They have no living parents.
- They were not receiving proper quality care from their parents.
- They were victims of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
- Their parents gave them up because they didn’t feel capable of caring for the child.
- Possibly their parents are incarcerated.
By investing in the children’s homes, orphans and orphanages with quality, ethical local leaders we help provide a safe environment and the education and support services need to enable these young lives to overcome barriers and see their potential realized.
As you can see, the first quarter of 2023 has been busy investing in orphans and women in need, all of whom have great potential and simply need a caring hand and the right support to enable them to grow and thrive. Some of the most basic needs we have must be met first such as food, clothing, shelter and safety to help create an environment for lives to thrive and that is what we aim to do around the world for children, orphans, and women in difficult situations.