Message-ID: <199601161009.IAA06915@rjo04.embratel.net.br> Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 08:09:31 -0200 From: Joaquim Moura <mailto:poa-bsb@CR-DF.RNP.BR> Subject: Brasilia Micro Development Update 02/96 To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Brasilia Development Projects' Weekly Update 02/96 - Jan. 15, 1995You can find more details and the project development since its inception, last year, in our home page dedicated to community and international development and micro credit.
MEETING DAY TRANSFERENCE RAISES THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES
Transfer the meeting day from Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon made the number of attendees - mainly women - arises. They feel safer to come and go back home, and they have more time to meet. Last Sunday more than 40 people attended to the credit delivery meeting, now also presenting some videos about income generation, family enterprises etc.
LENDING SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT FOSTERS BORROWING DEMAND
The changes in the system brought good results. At the Sunday Jan. 7 meeting, two new groups applied for the loan.
A group was formed by eight women, dedicated to prepare and sell meals and fast food. They will work together and so they will take advantage of special conditions: to pay all the amount just 3 months after the credit. They could get R$ 200 (200 reais = US$ 200) each (R$1,600 total) but the group preferred to borrow just RS400 (R$ 50 each) - they told us they need just some money to buy raw materials to process and sell. As they perceive they need growing, they plan to buy a refrigerator and other equipments. Now they will start using just their own housewares.
The other group is formed by 5 people working individually. They buy and sell clothes and jewels (cheap jewels), and each one got all the R$200. They will pay every 15 days, in six installments (three months). As the cookers' group, they guarantee each other's repayment.
At the last Sunday meeting (Jan.14), one more group borrowed their money. It is formed by another 5 people working individually, mainly clothes.
VOLUNTARY WORKERS START TWO COMMUNITY GARDENS
Another two groups want the Cooperative's support to organize vegetable gardens in two community areas that the Santa Maria regional administration allowed them to till. They don't want to borrow money, they will work as voluntary groups, but they want some money just to install a fence around the areas. The local members of the Cooperative will decide next Sunday if they lend (or give) the money. As you know, each family clientele of the program must give five hours a week to community work. They want to use these hours gardening for the community. We hope the governmental extension service will help them. But maybe they will not (not enough) and thus we will need to dedicate some moments, every week to support their development.
COOPERATIVE HEADQUARTERS AND PRODUCTION UNIT SITES DEFINED
The regional administration of Santa Maria defined two areas to be used by the Cooperative. One in a central area of Santa Maria (to be the headquarters, training school, meeting room etc.; the other (bigger) at the border of the city, where they will install heavier productive activities, including detergent production, metal works etc. This week they will prepare the new installations' project, to be built collectively.
PROJECT WILL REACH 3,000 PEOPLE
The governmental team working in Santa Maria begun to identify more than 2,000 families to be involved in the project. So, in April we plan to have about 3,000 poor families buying their basic food basket from the program, producing R$ 50,000 to be lent to the poor, every month. We will need to develop the lending, the training system, the marketing and the repayment systems etc... We hope this interchange with you will help us a lot.
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:poa-bsb@cr-df.rnp.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