A new way to do Charitable Giving

Microcredit created by Dr Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, has been around since the 1970’s and has offered the ultra-poor a dignified pathway out of poverty.

The Rotarian Action Group for Microfinance and Community Development is a group of Rotarians whose purpose is to provide global leadership to assist clubs and districts to participate in effective Microfinance and Community Development programs.

Their website (http://ragm.org) is full of articles providing assistance and expert advice for planning, implementing and evaluating projects to clubs and Rotarians looking to develop successful and sustainable microfinance and community economic developments projects.

Janet Hay is a fellow Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Canterbury in Melbourne. Starting out as a stage and production manager she has moved through special event management, 10 years as property developer, caring for asylum seekers on Christmas Island, working with the Salvation Army on Nauru and Manus Island, then home for a Master’s in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.

As a member of RAGM – Rotary Action Group for Micro-finance and Community Development, Janet has been giving talks to local clubs on Micro-finance and Social Business and has received very positive feedback. Janet has also spoken overseas in Colorado in November 2018 and in Edinburgh, Scotland in January 2019.

Janet’s favourite Rotary photo is holding the Nobel Peace Prize at the recent multidistrict conference. The Prize was won in 2017 by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Professor Tilman Ruff AM the founder of ICAN was a guest speaker at the Peace Forum.