HECD - Phase III Micro Finance

 

The Honduras Insight Tour took place in April 2016. From our HECD Microfinance Task Force Wally Gardiner, Jim Louttit, and Steve Rickard went down to Honduras.  From Rotaract, Sarah Khan and Spencer Chaisson also accompanied the tour. Bonaventure Fandohan from The Rotary Foundation (TRF) in Evanston, as well as Jannalee Anderson from Opportunity International Canada (OIC) were also in attendance. Another good contributor to the trip was our very own Rotary District 5360 Administrator, Charlene Bearden.

 

Some went to visit the village of Las Camelias where a water project was completed in Phase II. This showed the great progress with new homes and businesses being developed in the area.

 

A visit was made to the Santa Barbara office of IDH . Microfinance loans have helped many businesses including one that makes clay tiles for stoves. It has grown to now be able to provide tiles to three countries including Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador at a rate of 1,000 tiles per week.  The stoves in the homes are safer than open fires problems from the smoke inhalation, burns, and blindness. The stoves burn less wood so there is also a positive environmental impact.

Sarah Khan told us of the Rotaract projects in a small village outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa. It takes place at a primary school with 30 students and one teacher. This is a Phased Project like the HECD model, first adding a concrete pad where the children can play without mud and dust, then clean water and bathrooms. Phase III added a computer lab with the help of donations, like those of computer consultant, Wally Gardiner, now each student has access to a computer to help with their studies.  Wally commented it was a busy time and an emotional time.

Everyone is encouraged to attend one of our annual Insight Tours to see first hand the impact our projects have on so many lives. View trip details for 2016 at Rotary Action Group Blog

Phase III is nearing completion with the Global Grant Application going to TRF before the end of June 2016.  With the help of the initial contributions from various Rotary Clubs in our own District 5360, District 7070 in Ontario, Olympia Capital Rotary Club in Washington State, Real de Minas in Honduras, and private donations we raised over $73,000 USD.  This money has been multiplied by grants from Community Investment Projects – Alberta Government (CIP), Rotary District 5360 Designated Funds (DDF),  and the Government of Canada totally approximately $125,000 USD. After our Global Grant Application has been approved by The Rotary Foundation (TRF) this will be a $300,000 USD project!! A leverage ratio of $4 to $1 – amazing!!  Thousands in Honduras will now have the necessary funding and business tools to be able to raise themselves from poverty. They can provide a better way of life for themselves, their families, their communities, and their country in so many ways.

 

There are many to thanks for getting us to this point; those on the District 5360 Microcredit Task Force, our contributors both Rotarian and Non-Rotarian, the Government of Alberta for the CIP grant, our own District 5360 for DDF, The Government of Canada in conjunction with The Rotary Foundation (Canada) TRFC, and finally the Rotary Foundation (TRF). Recognition and thanks to Jannalee Anderson from OIC who worked tirelessly on virtually all these fronts and our Partners at the Institute for Development in Honduras (IDH).  None of this would have been possible without this large and far-reaching collaborative effort as envisaged by the Rotary leaders at the Rotarian Action Group for Micro Finance and Community Development (ragm.org); a model example of Service above Self.

We will keep this momentum moving forward to HECD Phase IV which is in the initial planning stages. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

 

HECD April 2016 Insight Tour Group Photo