YEAR IN REVIEW: CELEBRATING 2012 WITH ABUNDANCE & GRATITUDE!

Hello DHF Family,

This is an exciting time for all of us here in Peru and back in the United States. With so many new and motivating things occurring right here, right now, I think it’s only fair to rewind and reflect on our amazing accomplishments in 2012. With that said, I am excited to announce that our 2012 DHF ANNUAL REPORT  is ready for review! As you peruse the report, please realize that this document is a living testament of our incredible labor of love due in part to your generous time, talent, donations, and unwavering commitment to bring opportunities of abundance to the women of Cajamarca.

 Since 2008, we’ve provided more than 1,200 loans and funded over 2,400 development trainings related to business assistance, literacy, computer skills, family wellness, culinary, and artisanship.  Some of the 2012 highlights include:

510 ADDITIONAL LOANS BORROWED – 30% increase over prior year

$65 AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL SAVINGS PER CYCLE – 71% increase over prior year

942 TRAININGS OFFERED – a 20% increase over prior year

$11,886 IN REPORTED EARNINGS FROM TRAININGS –163% increase over prior year

100% LOAN PAYBACK – maintained since 2008

Visit to Village Bak "Friends Forever" with Maggie, Des, and Hector

The past month has also brought us plenty of insight about the direction of our village banking project here in Cajamarca. Our vision has always been centered on building a path to sustainability in which our partner, MULTICREDIT, has both the knowledge and the autonomy to run a local project incorporating our unique MicrocreditPLUS Model. During Maggie and Hector´s 10 day visit in April we spent a majority of our time in the field visiting village banks and in the office developing a roadmap for success that will allow us to slowly transition over project power to our partner and ensure that the HopeHouse, our educational center, maintains a long-term local presence in Peru for years to come.

As a part of this plan, a decision was made to bring in additional support in the form of two new local positions held by two of the strongest, most inspiring Cajamarcan women I know: Sarela Tirado Vasquez, our new HopeHouse Administrative Assistant and Rosario "Charo" Yupanqui Linares, our new Community Education Coordinator. This decision moves us two steps further to fulfilling our goal of giving total power to the local community. Both women started out as active village bank members serving on their bank´s internal committees as both president and treasurer. Now they are our newest addition to the project helping me identify new instructors, affordable materials, new class ideas, and new markets for our loan recipient´s products and services. With their help this year we are going to revamp our class line-up incorporating new themes like nutrition, leadership, technology, parenting, and business assistance.

So as we begin this exciting new chapter I invite you all to get on board and witness HOPE in action.

Best,

Des

http://www.lendhope.org/what-we-do/2012-annual-report

Crochet and Computers

Hello DHF Family,

January has come and gone….REALLY FAST! During the past three weeks I’ve had the chance to visit 13 of our 26 banks asking our women about their progress. You can see the glimmer of hope in their eyes and the happiness they feel to be a part of a group that encourages growth and abundance. What always amazes me is how popular our crochet classes are. Although we are on hiatus until March 1st the majority continue to manufacture an assortment of clothes from ponchos to sweaters and baby blankets. Although it’s technically summer here in Cajamarca the temperature can drop easily to 30ºF at night making warm clothes a necessity and in really high demand. The most common questions I’ve been asked is when do crochet classes begin and will the same instructor join them for the year.

In addition to crochet, I’m currently strategizing how we can offer basic computer classes for members. I’ve received so many requests for classes because women want to be connected to the Internet and social media outlets like FaceBook but more importantly, they are eager to help their children complete homework assignments. One idea would be to rent an Internet Café three times a week in the afternoons for a month at a time. The second would be to collect used or new laptops and organize a small computer lab here in the HopeHouse for 10 students at a time. In twelve sessions, women could learn basic computer operations, how to navigate the Internet, create an e-mail account and use basic social media.

As we now move into February I’ll be hard at work developing our program of activities and revamping our PLUS component. I’ll be sure to fill you in on the changes.

Best,

Des

2013: The Year of Sustainability and Adventure Stories





Des outside of the HopeHouse. Just a small piece of a gigantic puzzle
called "Sustainable Village Banking Project".

Greetings DHF Family!

Almost two years and four months ago to the date, I began an incredible journey that lead me back to Peru and eager to discover what life would be like helping women “RE”-discover their paths to spiritual and financial abundance. Boy what a journey it has been to say the least. Our village banking project has grown from a bouncy baby girl to a rambunctious preteen and into a spirited, strong-willed señorita ready to spread her wings and fly. I personally have grown both professionally and psychology and feel priveleged to now be a honorary member of the Cajamarcan community.

Now 26 village banks, 264 loan recipients, 1,200 loans and 2,000 educational trainings strong, our local partner (MULTICREDIT) and staff are even more committed to making sure our women receive the resources and the “know how” to become successful entrepreneurs and leaders. 2013 marks a pivotal year for all of us. As DHF begins to ever so gently hand over project leadership to MULTICREDIT, we hope that all of you will take an active role witnessing what true sustainability can look like and become over time.

 In the past our “Adventure in Hope” blog was a portal that allowed you to experience a typical day-in-the-life of our village banking project in Cajamarca. Starting today I’d like to rekindle this practice and have you see first-hand what your support albeit donations, volunteering, prayers, and well wishes have done for the women I now call family. Let’s make 2013 an OUTSTANDING year! I encourage you all to share our adventure stories with your friends and family and get the word our about our very important labor of lover here in Peru.

Best,

Des

Reflection

Hello DHF Family,

It’s been almost a week since Maggie, John, and Hector left Cajamarca and not a minute passes when one of our loan recipients taps me on the shoulder and asks, “When is the team coming back?” Here in the HopeHouse our entire staff feels re-energized and ready to bring on the New Year.

I’m so grateful to the “CREW” (as I call them) for taking the time out of their busy schedules and traveling over 4,000 miles to visit the village banking project. My personal philosophy has always been that there are no coincidences in life but rather a Divine Order to our lives and the choices we make. After working here for more than two years, I truly believe that the fabric that ties all of us together-our local staff, the Board, DHF donors, volunteers, and blog readers- is this project and the countless people we serve.

I also believe we all understand the importance of providing impoverished women with microloans, education, and access to opportunities that enable these same women to become self-reliant and abundant; but when you see it firsthand, something magical happens. Little girls sitting side-by-side with their mothers witnessing a repayment meeting. A village bank member holding her new loan money in hand contemplating her next purchase for her business. A student proudly displaying a new sweater she crocheted in community classes for her daughter when five months ago she didn’t even know how to use a crochet needle. A woman with her children crying tears of joy and appreciation for being given the opportunity to dream and create a vision for herself and her family.

It was truly a pleasure and an honor to bear witness to the hundreds of “light bulb” moments John, Maggie, and Hector experienced while in Cajamarca. Seeing their special moments gave way to my own and provided me with a sense of  validation that yes, indeed all the hard work, the countless office hours, the dozens of guinea pigs and potatoes eaten, the hundreds of miles walked, and the thousands of personal conversations has been worth it.

I’m looking forward to meeting firsthand the countless DHF donors and supporters on October 25^th that make this project a reality.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and know how truly grateful we all are to have you in our lives. You are truly appreciated!

Best,

Des

Gratitude.

Gratitude.

Celebration.

Presence.

Opportunity.

These are the reminders and gifts given to me on this journey.  This is a pocket of time in my Heart I will never forget.

I am deeply energized about our work and the power of local women leading their charge.  Watching village banks function with joy and integrity, it is obvious to me this notion of “DiscoverHope” has a life of its own.  I guess it’s as close as I know to watching my child grow.  Seeing the women in their groups with their wings of strength…well this makes every second of every year worth it.

I hope you all get to join us on Oct 25 at our gala for several reasons.  Desiree, our Country Director here in Peru, will be with us.  She is a living, breathing example of courage and positive power.  Her everyday is spent giving women opportunity.  To be with her alone and hear her is a gift.

Bringing John and Hector to this special place has been the best possible thing for me personally and the movement of our project.  They are both incredible thinkers and empathetic Hearts.  Knowing that they are part of the fabric of moving our work to a level where it can sustain itself here in this community…well this is a contribution to the lives of families that will never be the same. 

This journey I’ve gotten to see them witnessing the valor of women.  To watch them watching and participating in this work and to see us all changing before our very eyes is just something I can never ever forget.

My commitment to giving women doors of opportunity through microcredit and education is as formidable as ever.

And the greatest teachers of everyday have been the community of love and Presence the women give to one another and us.  This is a level of loving I hope to achieve in my lifetime.

Blessings from the Heart,

Maggie

Ojos (eyes)

I have left Cajamarca for my return trip to Austin.  Maggie and Hector are staying a couple of days more for a few more bank visits.  As I sit here in the Lima airport, reflecting on my trip, I struggle for words.

It’s impossible for me to describe my experience here.  Just as anyone tries to describe a watershed moment in life, words are inadequate.  So I thought I’d share a few photos and an observation that Hector made our first day in Cajamarca.

We were greeted on our first night at the Hope House by a group of women from different village banks.  They stayed late after a sewing class to share some of their creations with us.  Each in turn told a bit of their personal story and their experience of the DiscoverHope program.

Hector observed later that the women who had been part of our program for several loan cycles were more confident and looked us in the eyes as they were talking.  Many of the women in earlier loan cycles were more uncertain and looked at the floor while they spoke.

I became much more aware as the week went on, who would look me in the eyes when we met or spoke.

One of our bank officers, Carina, repeated the familiar phrase several times this week,  

“Los ojos son la ventana del alma.” or 

“The eyes are the window to the soul.”  

I will try again in the coming days to describe my experience here, but right now, I am at a loss.

Instead, I’d like to share a few photos from the week.  

I hope their eyes convey some of what we experienced this week.

In gratitude,

John

Generations

Today we had the opportunity to visit with the incredible women of the village bank Bendicion de Dios (God’s Blessings).  This bank is sponsored by Hart InterCivic through our Legacy Program, which provides funds for loans and trainings to our village banks.

What an incredible impact these training programs and loans have had on this group of women and their families. Only in their fourth loan cycle, the bank is successful and thriving.  Many of the women in the bank did not know how to crochet before joining this village bank. After training programs provided by DiscoverHope, the women are very accomplished with their crochet.  They were very proud to show us the blankets, sweaters, and shawls that they’ve created with their new-found skills. This provides them another source of funds if they sell their creations in the market; however, many of the women now make these clothes for their children. It is truly a special gift to give someone a new skill that provides them with a creative outlet as well as a source of income.

Today we watched a loan repayment meeting, where the women members come together to make payments against their outstanding loan balance.  This is how banking happens with the poor.  They gather in homes to meet, share food, crochet, and perform the business of banking. It’s a joyous celebration as the women approach the table to make the payment, they dance or strut to the table to break the ice and get them out of their comfort zone. So much of this process is about increasing their confidence and self-esteem and helping them realize that they are powerful and capable business-women.  One of the most inspirational images of today was a little girl sitting at the bank table next to her mother who is one of the bank officers. She held one of the bank cards in which the women record their payments and keep their bank balance. This is an extremely important document and a great source or pride for these women. The booklet documents their path from the roles of the unbanked poor to micro-entrepreneur with a credit history and a track record of successful borrowing and repayment.

What incredible role model that this young mother was for her daughter, providing an example of responsibility, initiative, and hard work.  I am incredibly humbled to witness the impact on future generations of women in this community.

 

These women were so genuinely grateful for the loans and trainings provided by DiscoverHope through the Hart Legacy sponsorship of Bendicion de Dios. 

Many thanks to Hart InterCivic for its generous support in sponsoring this village bank and transforming the lives of not only these bank members but also future generations of aspiring women entrepreneurs.  This sponsorship has touched the lives of these women in a profoundly powerful way.

John