I had the opportunity to sit in on the first client trainings for two new community banks today and yesterday. Before receiving a loan from HOPE, clients need to pass through a fairly intensive series of training seminars. By the time they get to this first meeting, clients have met with loan officers in their homes or businesses, but still have lots of questions about HOPE Congo and loan details. At the first meeting, HOPE explains its mission and identity as a Christ-centered microfinance institution, describes its vision for positive impact on clients, reviews the loan products and terms, and explains how clients work together as a community bank and can advance into higher loans over time. Continue Reading…
Becky Svendsen
Jun 3 2010
By Becky Svendsen
Staff / Travels
This past weekend, some friends and I went to see what life is like outside the city. So we boarded a huge Mercedes bus headed north, and five bumpy, wind-blown hours later, we found ourselves standing on the side of the road in a small village called Ollombo about a quarter of a degree shy of the Equator. The people of Ollombo live in small homes made mostly of mud, thatch, and local wood, and the whole community is a pleasantly ordered network of dirt footpaths connecting the market, the soccer field, the school, churches, and homes. At first glance, it might appear that this village has nothing to do with HOPE’s work in Brazzaville hundreds of miles away, but I see a pretty clear connection. Continue Reading…
Becky Svendsen
Jun 1 2010
By Becky Svendsen
Stories we love
Meet Simon. Simon was among HOPE Congo’s first group of microfinance clients in Brazzaville. He sells sandals from a low table on a dusty street in the clothing district of Brazzaville’s largest and most important open-air market, Le Marche Total. He uses the modest profits from his business to help support a family of six people, including his first grandchild.
Simon has been selling sandals for quite some time now, but before working with HOPE Congo, he had never accessed a small business loan. He put his first loan to work to increase the selection and size of his inventory. Now, just a week after receiving his loan, his small stand is more eye-catching, and his stock sits a few inches off the ground on a low table. He is hopeful that he’ll be able to capitalize on what he learned through his biblically-based loan training sessions to make wiser business decisions and successfully repay his loan. One of the training elements that stood out to him most was HOPE’s emphasis on savings. “This is an advantage for clients, and it is unique,” he explains. “We are generally not encouraged to save. We spend money as we get it. I learned that if I plan and save, I will be able to do a better job with my business, and I will be able to repay, get more loans and grow.” Continue Reading…
Becky Svendsen
May 28 2010
By Becky Svendsen
Microfinance Staff / Travels
I’m telling you, there’s a huge demand for HOPE Congo’s services in Brazzaville. Loveline, HOPE Congo’s loan officer supervisor, said to me “In Congo, loans are like manna from heaven. Our clients are so happy, so thankful, so excited to repay.”
Jacinta is HOPE Congo’s Operations Manager, and last week, she shared a story about people in her own neighborhood who are looking for a “hand up.” She was telling some of her new neighbors (she recently moved to Brazzaville from Cameroon) about her job. While sharing about herself personally, she mentioned that HOPE Congo had just disbursed business loans to small-scale entrepreneurs who live in neighborhoods just like theirs. Continue Reading…
Becky Svendsen
May 26 2010
By Becky Svendsen
News Staff / Travels
After receiving their loans, the clients get a one-week grace period to apply the funds to their businesses (by purchasing more inventory, diversifying stock, renting more retail space, etc). Reimbursement meetings start two weeks after the original disbursal, allowing time for the infusion of capital to bear fruit for the entrepreneur in the form of increased profits. From that point on, clients meet every week for the remainder of the four-month loan period. Community banks come together for an hour and a half to make repayments, receive business training rooted in scripture, share concerns and seek counsel, and pray and fellowship with one another. Continue Reading…
Becky Svendsen
May 24 2010
By Becky Svendsen
News Staff / Travels
I’m pleased to introduce HOPE Congo’s pioneering community banks! On May 10, HOPE Congo’s first loans went out to fifty Congolese men and women seeking to improve and expand their small businesses. The clients formed two community banks of 25 – one group named itself “Ebenezer” and the second “The Good Seed.” Continue Reading…
