Hey Y'all!
Nicaragua is known as "the land of lakes and volcanoes" (note the background picture of Volcano Mombacho and Lake Nicaragua). The infamous Captain Morgan actually voyaged down the Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua in order to get to Granada. My Nica friends call me "la Capitana", probably as more of a hommage to their love of rum and having a good time than to their knowledge of this history. However, while the Captain Morgan went to Granada to pillage and plunder, this Capitana is going to give back to the people through the process of microfinance.
If you've never heard of microfinance, it's based on the concept that credit is a human right. That poor people deserve credit to invest in their businesses in order to improve their quality of life just like everyone else. Microfinance institutions aim to give credit to such poor people with no conventional collateral that traditional banks will not lend to. They find creative ways to provide collateral and lend small amounts of money which is paid back in small, frequent sums. While there have been as many controversies as successes in microfinance, of course micofinance is not THE solution to poverty that some portray it to be. Development requires a holistic approach with microfinance being one avenue. I see it as an opportunity for individuals and communities to lift themselves out of poverty.
So, for the following two months I'll be telling you about my experiences with PHPG as well as with Nicaragua round two. If you interested in more information about microfinance and PHPG check out their website at http://phpgmicrolending.org/.
I created this blog to tell the world about my adventures on my return to Nicaragua for the summer as a microlending intern with People Helping People Global (PHPG). I've been back for almost a month now, visiting friends and familiarizing myself with PHPG. After studying abroad for all of last year in Managua (the capital), I decided that I didn't get enough. I knew I would miss all of the relationships I formed and the culture, but meeting the love of my life 7 weeks before I left sealed the deal. So, I'm back not only to spend time with my boyfriend in Managua, but to work with PHPG in communities in the departments Granada and Matagalpa.
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| Me (second from the right) spending a day in the field learning about PHPG |
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| My boyfriend, Jorge, and I happy to be together again at Montelimar Beach |
Nicaragua is known as "the land of lakes and volcanoes" (note the background picture of Volcano Mombacho and Lake Nicaragua). The infamous Captain Morgan actually voyaged down the Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua in order to get to Granada. My Nica friends call me "la Capitana", probably as more of a hommage to their love of rum and having a good time than to their knowledge of this history. However, while the Captain Morgan went to Granada to pillage and plunder, this Capitana is going to give back to the people through the process of microfinance.
If you've never heard of microfinance, it's based on the concept that credit is a human right. That poor people deserve credit to invest in their businesses in order to improve their quality of life just like everyone else. Microfinance institutions aim to give credit to such poor people with no conventional collateral that traditional banks will not lend to. They find creative ways to provide collateral and lend small amounts of money which is paid back in small, frequent sums. While there have been as many controversies as successes in microfinance, of course micofinance is not THE solution to poverty that some portray it to be. Development requires a holistic approach with microfinance being one avenue. I see it as an opportunity for individuals and communities to lift themselves out of poverty.
So, for the following two months I'll be telling you about my experiences with PHPG as well as with Nicaragua round two. If you interested in more information about microfinance and PHPG check out their website at http://phpgmicrolending.org/.
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