Lao People's Democratic Republic
Microfinance
Updates from the Field - Lao Weaving Artisans - Micro Credit Project
Updates from the FieldUpdates from the Field (or Progress Reports) on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.com by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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Recent Updates from the Field
A Postcard from Lao Weaving Artisans - Micro Credit Project
By Clare Rutz - Visitor, October 16, 2009 11:24 AM
This is Clare Rutz reporting from Vientiane in Laos.
As an In-The-Field traveler I was able to see a side of Laos that most backpackers wouldn’t. I was able to talk to the people, visit their homes, and catch a glimpse of their daily lives. SEDA, a small non-profit that reaches out to many different communities with a thoughtful approach to each, gave me the opportunity to ask what it was the people of Vientiane and the surrounding villages needed. Their response was often exactly what SEDA was determined to help them with.
Some projects help thousands of people, while others help just one, but when given the chance to see the smile that comes from that one person in thanks for what was given to them, you do not question the importance of such philanthropy. Andee is a twelve-year-old girl who was completely paralyzed until six months ago. With physical therapy and medicine that helps rejuvenate her nerve cells given to her by SEDA she is able to show some movement. When asked to move her arms she did with a proud smile immediately following her accomplishment. I was fortunate enough to come on a day where Souly, the founder of SEDA, was delivering a surprise to Andee. We had brought a full set of sheets and a bright pink blanket for her bare mattress. Her simple joy for such simple amenities could easily ground anyone. With the right funding another surprise will hopefully make its way to Andee. Souly is currently looking for a hospital bed that will help her with physiotherapy and exercise!
Jumping back into the car we head towards another project of SEDA’s. We are visiting a woman who is apart of the microfinance opportunity that SEDA provides. When we arrive the first thing I notice is the spinning wheel. It’s the main attraction of the tiny building the family resides in. “Without the spinning wheel there would be no building”, was what I was told after I asked how their lives changed since the microfinance program. It provides them with a job that pays for the necessities. The microfinance project gives three to four hundred women loans in order to start spinning. The women collect old collars and bits of cloth from the factories and spin it back to useable string. SEDA provides the loans and helps the women with marketing. They are required to set up a group of five to ten women with one accountant and one secretary, and as a team they are responsible for repaying their loans. The interest rates compared to the local banks are extremely low, which allow the women to take the risk and begin working. The program provides a sustainable income for these women, and sustainability is a large component to the path towards self-reliance, the greatest goal of SEDA.
Our last stop is a once abandoned house that was previously owned by a USAID worker. The swimming pool is empty and weeds burst from the cracks, but something remarkable is going on in the backyard. A greenhouse full of potted plants is the beginning of a huge step forward for the farmers of Laos. SEDA is researching the most effective farming techniques that can be taught to farmers to increase the quality and quantity of their agricultural goods. They are also researching “cash crops”, which are the crops that are in high demand. Agarwood is the leading product in this field, and SEDA is making long strides to grow this special wood used for medicine and cosmetics, distribute the seedlings, and train farmers on how to tend to the crop. The difficulties of the process include the transportation of the seedlings, which is very costly and the training. Agarwood needs to be grown in a very specific way in order for the quality to be adequate enough to use, therefore, the training process will need to be long and thorough. With each great idea come obstacles! Follow the progress of SEDA on their page on GlobalGiving at: www.globalgiving.com/2219 to check up on Andee and to support the women in the microfinance program go to www.globalgiving.com/2504. To read about the agricultural program that completed its funding goal go to www.globalgiving.com/2012.
When asked what she would tell her friends about this project, Clare said: "Great: They are making a difference."
As an In-The-Field traveler I was able to see a side of Laos that most backpackers wouldn’t. I was able to talk to the people, visit their homes, and catch a glimpse of their daily lives. SEDA, a small non-profit that reaches out to many different communities with a thoughtful approach to each, gave me the opportunity to ask what it was the people of Vientiane and the surrounding villages needed. Their response was often exactly what SEDA was determined to help them with.
Some projects help thousands of people, while others help just one, but when given the chance to see the smile that comes from that one person in thanks for what was given to them, you do not question the importance of such philanthropy. Andee is a twelve-year-old girl who was completely paralyzed until six months ago. With physical therapy and medicine that helps rejuvenate her nerve cells given to her by SEDA she is able to show some movement. When asked to move her arms she did with a proud smile immediately following her accomplishment. I was fortunate enough to come on a day where Souly, the founder of SEDA, was delivering a surprise to Andee. We had brought a full set of sheets and a bright pink blanket for her bare mattress. Her simple joy for such simple amenities could easily ground anyone. With the right funding another surprise will hopefully make its way to Andee. Souly is currently looking for a hospital bed that will help her with physiotherapy and exercise!
Jumping back into the car we head towards another project of SEDA’s. We are visiting a woman who is apart of the microfinance opportunity that SEDA provides. When we arrive the first thing I notice is the spinning wheel. It’s the main attraction of the tiny building the family resides in. “Without the spinning wheel there would be no building”, was what I was told after I asked how their lives changed since the microfinance program. It provides them with a job that pays for the necessities. The microfinance project gives three to four hundred women loans in order to start spinning. The women collect old collars and bits of cloth from the factories and spin it back to useable string. SEDA provides the loans and helps the women with marketing. They are required to set up a group of five to ten women with one accountant and one secretary, and as a team they are responsible for repaying their loans. The interest rates compared to the local banks are extremely low, which allow the women to take the risk and begin working. The program provides a sustainable income for these women, and sustainability is a large component to the path towards self-reliance, the greatest goal of SEDA.
Our last stop is a once abandoned house that was previously owned by a USAID worker. The swimming pool is empty and weeds burst from the cracks, but something remarkable is going on in the backyard. A greenhouse full of potted plants is the beginning of a huge step forward for the farmers of Laos. SEDA is researching the most effective farming techniques that can be taught to farmers to increase the quality and quantity of their agricultural goods. They are also researching “cash crops”, which are the crops that are in high demand. Agarwood is the leading product in this field, and SEDA is making long strides to grow this special wood used for medicine and cosmetics, distribute the seedlings, and train farmers on how to tend to the crop. The difficulties of the process include the transportation of the seedlings, which is very costly and the training. Agarwood needs to be grown in a very specific way in order for the quality to be adequate enough to use, therefore, the training process will need to be long and thorough. With each great idea come obstacles! Follow the progress of SEDA on their page on GlobalGiving at: www.globalgiving.com/2219 to check up on Andee and to support the women in the microfinance program go to www.globalgiving.com/2504. To read about the agricultural program that completed its funding goal go to www.globalgiving.com/2012.
When asked what she would tell her friends about this project, Clare said: "Great: They are making a difference."
Pictures:
Want to support this project's continued work? 
Project continues to grow
By Charlotte Halligan - Communications and Public Relations Manager, September 23, 2009 02:02 PM
SEDA’s micro finance project is going from strength to strength, but we still need your help to help as many women as possible work their way out of poverty.
Interest has been shown by international buyers to purchase the textiles produced by the women of Ban Hai – potentially doubling their traditional earnings. One buyer is traveling to Singapore to personally meet the women behind the beautiful fabrics. The women are very excited at the prospect of a big deal, and are working hard, but they need the micro-credit loans to buy the materials and tools to create textiles in large quantities.
SEDA’s innovative project has been in the media recently, including an article in Micro-Finance Insights magazine.
Please keep supporting this socially responsible and innovative scheme – the money you donate makes a real difference, and with your help, SEDA can expand the project to include more women.
As always, we want to hear your feedback and suggestions. Please email your comments to info@seda-laos.org. And if you want to get the latest updates on SEDA activities, you can follow us on twitter, http://twitter.com/sedalaos.
Interest has been shown by international buyers to purchase the textiles produced by the women of Ban Hai – potentially doubling their traditional earnings. One buyer is traveling to Singapore to personally meet the women behind the beautiful fabrics. The women are very excited at the prospect of a big deal, and are working hard, but they need the micro-credit loans to buy the materials and tools to create textiles in large quantities.
SEDA’s innovative project has been in the media recently, including an article in Micro-Finance Insights magazine.
Please keep supporting this socially responsible and innovative scheme – the money you donate makes a real difference, and with your help, SEDA can expand the project to include more women.
As always, we want to hear your feedback and suggestions. Please email your comments to info@seda-laos.org. And if you want to get the latest updates on SEDA activities, you can follow us on twitter, http://twitter.com/sedalaos.
Want to support this project's continued work?
SEDA responds to Micro-credit critics
By Charlotte Halligan - Communications and PR consultant, August 19, 2009 11:00 AM
Recent media coverage has shed light on the negative aspects of some micro-credit schemes.
SEDA runs a socially responsible program and employs many measures to avoid the pitfalls that have been highlighted.
Please read the August 2009 report, “A response to micro-credit critics” for more information about the key differences between SEDA’s projects and those that have been subject to criticism.
The report shows that SEDA relies on your donations to make a difference. Please keep supporting SEDA and the women of Laos.
We would love to hear your feedback on the report - please email info@seda-laos.org
In the media
SEDA's micro-credit program has been covered in Go Nomad Magazine. Read the article to discover just how much of a difference your money is making to the lives of women in Laos.
SEDA runs a socially responsible program and employs many measures to avoid the pitfalls that have been highlighted.
Please read the August 2009 report, “A response to micro-credit critics” for more information about the key differences between SEDA’s projects and those that have been subject to criticism.
The report shows that SEDA relies on your donations to make a difference. Please keep supporting SEDA and the women of Laos.
We would love to hear your feedback on the report - please email info@seda-laos.org
In the media
SEDA's micro-credit program has been covered in Go Nomad Magazine. Read the article to discover just how much of a difference your money is making to the lives of women in Laos.
Links:
Attachments:
Want to support this project's continued work?
Helping hand for women in Vientiane
By Charlotte Halligan - Communications and PR, SEDA, July 14, 2009 11:07 PM
SEDA’s microfinance project continues to grow, helping women from the Vientiane province develop small businesses and generate regular income. Thank you yo everyone who has donated so far to this very worthwhile cause.
So far 30 women have signed up to receive the small loans and business training, and SEDA is busy expanding to double those numbers.
SEDA is trying to raise the $3000 needed to help these women achieve financial independence.
Why Microfinance?
For women in Laos, making enough money to run a home can be a struggle. Often they rely on occasional work, helping with laundry, sewing or cleaning, which leaves them with little financial security from month to month. And in vulnerable families, or where the woman is the sole earner, this is a huge problem.
Spinning for success:
For 30 women in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, microfinance is making a difference. Showing the resourcefulness of the Lao people, the women have been using discarded material from a nearby clothing factory to spin cotton that they can sell for a small profit.
With the help of small loans, ranging from $50 - $175, the women have been able to get their businesses off the ground. They use the small loans to buy the material, and with the help of SEDA, are able to sell the cotton at a fair price, either at the local markets, or to a nearby village that can weave the cotton into fabrics.
The women pay back the loans at a rate that they agree that they can afford – with a minimum payment of just $0.50 per day.
The microfinance program also teaches business skills and financial management, so that the women can eventually achieve financial independence.
Helping women throughout Laos
SEDA’s microfinance project is not limited to the city. Small loans and micro-credit are also be given out in rural and remote areas, with a goal of helping between 300-400 women in vulnerable families obtain a secure income and learn the skills necessary to run a business and a home.
Please consider donating to this project. Every penny donated helps to alleviate short term poverty, and also to create long term financial stability for women and their families.
Please donate through global giving. For more information please contact SEDA at
info@seda-laos.org.
So far 30 women have signed up to receive the small loans and business training, and SEDA is busy expanding to double those numbers.
SEDA is trying to raise the $3000 needed to help these women achieve financial independence.
Why Microfinance?
For women in Laos, making enough money to run a home can be a struggle. Often they rely on occasional work, helping with laundry, sewing or cleaning, which leaves them with little financial security from month to month. And in vulnerable families, or where the woman is the sole earner, this is a huge problem.
Spinning for success:
For 30 women in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, microfinance is making a difference. Showing the resourcefulness of the Lao people, the women have been using discarded material from a nearby clothing factory to spin cotton that they can sell for a small profit.
With the help of small loans, ranging from $50 - $175, the women have been able to get their businesses off the ground. They use the small loans to buy the material, and with the help of SEDA, are able to sell the cotton at a fair price, either at the local markets, or to a nearby village that can weave the cotton into fabrics.
The women pay back the loans at a rate that they agree that they can afford – with a minimum payment of just $0.50 per day.
The microfinance program also teaches business skills and financial management, so that the women can eventually achieve financial independence.
Helping women throughout Laos
SEDA’s microfinance project is not limited to the city. Small loans and micro-credit are also be given out in rural and remote areas, with a goal of helping between 300-400 women in vulnerable families obtain a secure income and learn the skills necessary to run a business and a home.
Please consider donating to this project. Every penny donated helps to alleviate short term poverty, and also to create long term financial stability for women and their families.
Please donate through global giving. For more information please contact SEDA at
info@seda-laos.org.
Pictures:
Want to support this project's continued work?
Funds Still Needed for Artisan Women
By Souly QuachAngkham - Founder/Director, March 11, 2009 11:40 AM
SEDA’s partner organizations are reporting that many women in Sungthong District, Vientiane Province are still in need of funding to get their textiles and waving businesses up and running. The Village Bank is short of the funds needed to provide grants. The Village Bank cannot secure loans from commercial banks and have therefore turned to SEDA-Laos for help. SEDA has been trying to raise fund, but we are having very limited success.. We are urging our reader, supporters, and donors to help support this program. These funds will be used to help women in remote areas become independent and self-sustaining business owners.
SEDA’s goal is to raise enough funds to provide support to over 350 women in remote areas. Every dollar donated counts toward helping these women develop stable and self-sustaining income. Given the current economic climate, we at SEDA know how difficult it is to find extra money. However, even a $5.00 contribution can help rural Laotian women develop their businesses. To view more photographs of this project and other SEDA undertaking please visit www.picasaweb.google.com/souly2008.
SEDA’s goal is to raise enough funds to provide support to over 350 women in remote areas. Every dollar donated counts toward helping these women develop stable and self-sustaining income. Given the current economic climate, we at SEDA know how difficult it is to find extra money. However, even a $5.00 contribution can help rural Laotian women develop their businesses. To view more photographs of this project and other SEDA undertaking please visit www.picasaweb.google.com/souly2008.
Pictures:
