Message-ID: <19960229093135618.AAA76@[200.239.60.101]> Date: Thu, 29 Feb 1996 09:31:37 +0000 From: Joaquim Moura <mailto:joaquim.moura@PERSOCOM.COM.BR> Subject: WWB, microloans, open factories - Brasilia update To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Dear Friends1. Women's World Bank binder with WWB Best Practices on Micro Credit:
After reporting to you about the beautiful and useful binder I have received from the WWB (more than 200 pages with thorough considerations and case studies), two days after, for my surprise, I received another binder from the same WWB, exactly similar to the first one, but all in Spanish - more than 200 pages etc. etc... I was surprised but not actionless about: I gave the second one to Jose Ivan, from the Solidarity Center for Income Generation, who works with me in Santa Maria and in many other popular communities.
Another funny issue about these binders: no letter came with them, so I don't know who had this initiative, and exactly why they have sent them to me, what they are waiting for, etc. And I would like very much to know if WWB has a home page, with all these materials available there. If they don't, I would like to scan them, OCR them, and make them available through our page on micro credit (later also in CD-ROM). More: I could even translate them (not them all, not entirely, summarized for a mostly illiterated people) to Portuguese. Does any one know the WWB e-mail address.
Later I will send a message with the binder's table of contents, or you can read it immediately at: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/wwbbestp.htm or you can read a small example of the contents at: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/wwbneeds.htm (this is about needs assessment)
2. Open Factories to fight unemployment and to meet popular needs: Last Friday we have inaugurated the first Open Factory (in Santa Maria). Tomorrow we will open another Factory (in Paranoa) and in the following Friday, another one (always in poor satellite cities around Brasilia).
An Open Factory is a cooperative place where anyone can come and work, producing first necessity goods, and then taking 25% of the production for personal use or to sell. The cooperative holds 75%, to use or sell,but must keep operational all the installations, equipment and tools, and available the raw materials, as well provide training and marketing support.
These first three Open Factories will dedicate to produce building materials - mainly bricks made of rock dust and cement, using seven different molds (these seven different models of bricks are all you need to build locally, very easily, a very cheap and solid house).
This project was developed by Prof. William Yenaga, but we are helping him to see his long-dreamed project become a reality in the poor communities. Two Saturdays ago, the Governor Cristovam Buarque (http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/brasilia.htm) went to Santa Maria, visited the site - the future cooperative headquarters-training center - and experimented to use the hand- lever molds, producing some perfect bricks and becoming amazed with that hability/capacity of his.
You can read about Santa Maria food security, micro credit and income generation system program at: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/stmprogr.htm or you can read more details about open factory at: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/openfact.htm (this last is in Portuguese - but you can learn to read Portuguese with our dynamic reading course, at: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/porcours.htm
I hope to hear your comments very soon; thank you. Joaquim
To read more about Micro Credit and Community Development, please visit: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc or (if you cannot access WWW) e-mail to mailto:joaquim.moura@persocom.com.br _____________________________________________________________________
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Joaquim Moura (all the controversial opinions are just personal) Youth & Citizenship Development Commission Partners of the Americas - Brasilia / Washington DC Committee SHCGN 713 - Bloco I - Apt. 202 - 70760-739 - Brazil Phone (55 61): 414-1904 (w); 273-5613 (h); 414-1898 (fax) e-mail: mailto:joaquim.moura@persocom.com.br