To be updated shortly

New Microfinance group

It is time to start a new Microfinance group. One of the support groups in Ward 22 near Siyakhula is ready to get started. They already handed in their business proposals and I ll meet with them next week Tuesday to discuss the details. Then the selection process can start.
Nshilini's group is doing well and I have called them for the next pay day on the 20th of February 2010.

Evaluation of the Nshilini group

Last weekend I took two days to evaluate the members of the Nshilini group. All in all they are doing fine, even if they are not keeping their book records. I sad down with every singel one of them and explained again how it works and how they can see if they are making a profit. I also corrected all the record books and brought them up to date. Two out of seventeen are keeping their record correctly. I was worried about one woman who hasn't been coming to the monthly meetings. The last time I saw her was at the business course. I knew that she was living far far away from the road and that it will take at least 45 minutes to walk to her house. So me and Joe my translater set off to her house. it was very hot and the sweat just poured down. After 45 min hike up a very steep hill we arrived and she was not at home. We were very disappointet but I didn want to give up. I saw a woman on the other side of the valley and asked Joe to ask her if she knew were Kholeka was. That woman was about 1 km away from us but Joe's voice reached her ear without problems. Her answer was clear like a bell, that Kholeka was at a party in the next village. The accustics in the hills are amazing...who needs cell phones? I wasn't really keen to carry on walking because I didn't bring water and it sounded like the next village is over another 2 hills. But Joe wouldn't give up and he convinced me to carry on. After another 45 min hike we found the party and Kholeka and took her back to her house so I could take some pictures of her shop. She reported that she was very sick. She is on Anti-retrovirals now, and she is doing better. Her shop was making a lot of money in the beginning but went down hill when she got sick. I hope she will be able to recover. After three hours we were back at the car.