This Week's Meeting on 2 March 2015
This week we were introduced to our Club's newest member, heard all about Sheltboxes from our 5 Minute Speaker and learnt about the amazing work being done by VisionFund International, from our guest speaker, in helping to provide project funds for the world's poorest of the poor.
On Monday we welcomed new member Karina Steinauer, who is originally from Switzerland, but is now based in New Zealand. As well as being a director of Total Cost Reduction, Karina is also involved with numerous sporting activities involving children. Welcome Karina!
This week’s 5 Minute Speaker was Club member Bonnie Boyle, who spoke about her passion, Shelterbox; a resource than can be rapidly mobilised whenever and wherever disaster strikes. Shelterbox provides families with emergency shelter and vital equipment necessary to survive and they are stored in strategic locations around the world. All the items are in a durable plastic box and its content can be customised as required – including waterproof ground mats, thermal fleece blankets, water containers and a family tent. For the South Pacific region there are Emergency Response Kits (ERKs), which are similar, but are adapted for a warmer climate. Both of these programmes offer a life line to people who are in dire need and one Emergency Response Kit costs NZ$600 and one ShelterBox NZ$1500. Both programmes are always in need of donations and if interested in helping, please contact Jacqui in the office. You will also be entitled to a big hug from Bonnie.
Our guest speaker was Jon Hartley, who is the Chair of VisionFund International - the global microfinance operations of World Vision, operating in 36 countries with a loan portfolio of over half a billion US dollars. Programmes helped by VisionFund can last up to seventeen years and what may work well in one area, can be doomed for failure in another, which is why it is imperative to understand the local community before any assistance is offered. VisionFund is about funding the poorest of the poor. Initially the basics need to be available for all, which is about ensuring easy access to clean water and good sanitation before worrying about anything else - there is no point in building classrooms if children are dying young. Currently about 70 percent of VisionFund recipients are rural females, as they tend to be more determined to succeed and less transient – as men in these cultures generally have to move around to follow the work. Overall about 98 percent of these loans are repaid, but more importantly the entire community is strengthened and the outlook for children in particular is improved. Microfinance is rocket science and for loans to be beneficial a holistic approach must be taken, that looks at the big picture, rather than just focusing on a lack of something somewhere. At the same time that VisionFund lends money, it also needs to be making a profit, so the organisation can continue to grow. Yes, money has been lost to fraud and bad decisions have been made, but this is no different to any other fiscal organisation. However, overall VisionFund is meeting its needs for its customers as well as growing internally.
Sergeant Ian Grierson began by congratulating and then fining Mike Walsh for being published in the Courier and then used the themes of Sunshine Sustaining Members and sports to boost our Sunshine Fund.