Although entrepreneurial spirit thrives, there is often little access to capital for the rural poor. This gift would provide much-needed credit to leading entrepreneurs in Honduras and allow them to raise their standard of living.

A micro loan allows a woman to start and grow a small business. Income from the business is then used to support the woman and her family. Once the loan is repaid, the capital can be used to support additional women. This is truly the gift that keeps giving! (See New York Times article on micro-credit below.)

For $50, you can provide a loan to a poor woman in Honduras and allow her to improve the standard of living for herself and her family.

Gift no longer available for purchase. Please see the Gifts page for more ideas.

A community of 900 in Keelakarthigaipatti, India, shares one hand pump. The villagers are forced to use irrigation canal water for bathing and washing clothes. Waterborne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, are common. Almost 8,000 miles away, on the sunny California coast, a handful of HP employees learned about the Indian village's plight through GlobalGiving, and decided to do something about it.

Through a Safe Water and Latrines project, girls will have access to clean water.

In December 2003, Sheila Worland and Leanne Valasco mobilized the support of over 400 people to help create a clean and safe water system for the people of Keelakarthigaipatti by holding an office-wide raffle. This project touched many of the office's employees personally, said Worland and Velasco.

In four days, over $4,000 was raised to build additional hand pumps and drainage facilities, household latrines and sanitation systems in the local school. "The reward is in knowing that we are able to make a difference to children in India so that they may have clean, safe drinking water," Worland said.

Resources

• Join Leanne and Sheila in their support. Click to donate.
   
• Click here to see the "Safe Water and Latrines for a Village in India" page on GlobalGiving.

In a recent article and slideshow (Debate Stirs Over Tiny Loans for World's Poorest) The New York Times' Celia Dugger presented the issue of micro-credit. She was quick to highlight the successes but pointed out that funding for such programs was often held up within aid institutions because of debate over distribution requirements.

In a subsequent letter to the editor, GlobalGiving highlighted its vision that available capital is the key to social and economic growth overseas. GlobalGiving also stressed that, where development institutions can struggle with centrally planned distribution requirements, GlobalGiving.com bypasses the bureaucracy and lets donors directly support small-scale development projects of their choice.

Resources

• Click here to see "Debate Stirs Over Tiny Loans for World's Poorest"
   
• Support micro-credit efforts in Zimbabwe
   
• Click here to see the "Creating a loan fund for 50 women in Zimbabwe" page on GlobalGiving.

If you know of a model sustainable tourism project anywhere in the world, log on to www.sustainabletourismawards.com and nominate it for a 2004 Sustainable Tourism Award. There are two categories, preservation and conservation. Winners will receive cash awards and be recognized in Smithsonian magazine. They're looking for projects which contribute to the advancement of better practices.

The 2004 Sustainable Tourism Awards are sponsored by Smithsonian magazine and the Travelers Conservation Foundation. Deadline for nominations is May 15, 2004.

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