I received an update from Kiva with regard to the impact of the earthquake on the regional banks and our entrepreneurs (posted below). I was really saddened to read that 4 entrepreneurs have lost theirs homes and business with many more whose homes and businesses were damaged. I am wondering if there is any interest in trying to establish a fund/donations (without expectation of repayment) perhaps with the help of Fondo Esperanza to help these particular people so they have a fair shot at their original dream. And as an extension of this idea, perhaps we could do something similar with our Haitian field partners?
Any ideas are welcome!
Joan
The update:
Dear Kiva lenders,
We would like to update you on the situation facing our borrowers,
following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February
27th. The earthquake most severely affected Chile's Maule and Biobio
regions. The majority of the village banks we have posted to Kiva, which
you helped fund, are located right in the Maule region. The region of La
Araucanía, from which there are also village banks funded by Kiva
lenders, did not suffer as serious damage as the Maule region.
The following is an update on the general situation of the entrepreneurs
and village bank members who were affected by the earthquake.
The situation in Maule:
The village banks that were financed by Kiva lenders in this region are:
• Crecer con Libertad
• Luz de Esperanza
• El Esfuerzo de Teno
• Samuel Francisco
• El Progreso
• Oscar Bonilla
• Mirada de Luz
• Cuento Contigo
• Estrellita
The members of these village banks live primarily in the cities of
Talca, Linares, and Curicó.
This region was one of the most seriously affected by the earthquake.
Many homes were destroyed or severely damaged, so for some time people
were afraid to return home. In the past couple of weeks, aid supplies
and relief have begun to arrive in the region, allowing people to begin
rebuilding. There have also been important relief campaigns to provide
emergency shelters to those whose homes were severely damaged or
destroyed.
The village banks in this region that were posted to Kiva have been
contacted by Fondo Esperanza. Due to difficulty communicating with these
regions, Fondo Esperanza has only been able to reach 8 of these 9
village banks, obtaining updates on the majority of our Kiva
entrepreneurs in this area.
Sadly, to date, we know of four Kiva borrowers who have lost their homes
and businesses. The majority of our borrowers have partial damages to
their homes and they have not yet been able to reopen their businesses.
In addition to scarcities and the lack of basic services, there is a
great degree of stress and fear caused by the earthquake's aftershocks,
which experts say will continue for a prolonged period.
The situation in La Araucanía:
The village banks that were financed by Kiva lenders in this region,
primarily from the city of Temuco, are:
• Los Esforzados de Nueva Imperial
• Sueños de Emprendedores
• Nueva Vida
• Confines del Sur
• La Ilusión de los Ríos
• Los Sueños
• Jazmines de los Lagos.
Damages in La Araucanía have not been as serious as those in Maule,. To
date, we have been able to make contact with members of all seven
village banks listed above, through whom we have learned about the
general situation of the rest of our entrepreneurs funded on Kiva. Their
news has been much more positive. The borrowers contacted had already
communicated with all of the other members of their village banks, and
they were all doing well, without serious damages to their homes and
were beginning to slowly reopen their businesses and resume normal
activities.
About Fondo Esperanza: Fondo Esperanza (FE) is currently the
largest Chilean microfinance organization and is proudly Kiva's first
microfinance partner in Chile. FE's mission is to provide solidarity
micro-loans to economically vulnerable populations. Seeking to overcome
poverty in Chile by incubating small businesses, FE provides a holistic
range of microfinance services beyond the loans themselves, including
entrepreneurial education and network promotion.
To lend to another entrepreneur from Fondo Esperanza, click here. Thank you for supporting FE.
Kiva very much appreciates your responses online. You can read and
respond to this journal online at:
Los Esforzados De Nueva Imperial Group:
http://www.kiva.org/lend/168037/comment?ent=242395&_te=jNueva Vida Group:
http://www.kiva.org/lend/183870/comment?ent=242395&_te=jAdditional notes from Kiva:
1. If this journal entry is in a foreign language, please feel free to
use an online translator such as Google Translator:
(
http://translate.google.com/)
2. If you do not wish to receive these emails, you can disable them by
logging into your Kiva account and clicking "My Account" where you can
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Best Wishes,
Kiva Staff
