Investing With the Poor Part II

This is part of a series profiling the members of the Genesis spinning plant. As many of you know, the Genesis co-op members have committed themselves to working without pay for the past two years in the construction of their building, organizing their co-op and training members. It’s been hard, however, to find groups willing to commit funding to the project. So many have said to us, “We’d love to help, but start ups are too high risk.” While we understand that, we also know that the co-op members themselves have already taken a greater personal risk than any funding agency, and we see their sacrifice as a commitment that will ensure Genesis’ success in the future.

Like all active members of Genesis, Pablo González can see the doctor at the CDCA’s clinic in Nueva Vida without paying the $1.50 consult fee, but for Pablo this care is especially important. He’s a diabetic who walks with a severe limp caused by permanent damage to his foot and leg. Last week while working on the co-op Pablo had a cement block fall on his foot. While the initial injury was minor, it has since turned into a serious infection, and he is depending on our clinic to keep him from the very real danger of losing his foot or even leg. He’s been to the clinic twice this week and was ordered by the doctor to rest. Although he isn’t earning a salary at the co-op, Pablo hates to miss a day of work.

For nearly two years, Pablo worked as a security guard at night and then came to work on the spinning plant construction during the day, sacrificing sleep and his family to make the project a reality. After a long fight, he has finally able to get disability benefits and quit his night job to dedicate himself more fully to the co-op. With five children, two grandchildren and his wife and mother-in-law dependent on him, Pablo cannot afford for Genesis to fail. “I hope to gain a future for my children, and pull us out of poverty.”

Pablo and all the other members of the co-op need other people to help them pull themselves out of poverty. That’s what we mean by shared risk: they have risked their families’ futures in a way that most of us cannot imagine, and now they need other people to take a risk by helping finance their project.

If you know anyone with “patient capital” willing to invest with the poor, we are looking for folks to lend money to the CDCA’s Shared Risk Investment fund for 5 years at 0-5% interest. Please have them write us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org

-- Becca

Investing with the Poor

As many of you know, for more than two years now the CDCA has been working to help set up a spinning plant with the Genesis Cooperative and its 35 members. Although the members have committed themselves to working without pay for the past two years in construction of their building, organizing their co-op and training members, it’s been hard to find groups willing to commit funding to the project. Still, we have done what seemed impossible: through mainly individual donations to our Shared Risk Investment Fund, the CDCA has so far loaned more than $130,000 in materials to Genesis for construction, money that the co-op will pay back so that they and other groups can start and improve worker-owned businesses through the CDCA Fund. Unfortunately, we’re still lacking around $100,000 to loan to Genesis to finish the building, and we need that urgently because we hope that we have finally found a group that can loan them the $300,000 needed for machinery. We have looked for funding everywhere, and so many groups have said to us, “It’s a great project, but we can’t afford that risk.” While we understand that any start up is a risk, it’s hard for us to conceive of a greater risk that that already taken by the co-op members themselves. Over the next few weeks we’ll give you a glimpse into the lives of a few of the Genesis members:

At 64, Petrona Valle is one of the oldest members of the Genesis cooperative, and her son Geovany is one of the youngest. Petrona’s husband was a security guard in the process of trying to get a retirement pension when he passed away in November. Now there is no one in their household earning a salary, yet Petrona and Geovany continue to come to the cooperative every day, working without pay as they have for the past two years, working to build a better future. Currently Genesis is giving them each a “help” of about $15 per week for their work, and that is how Petrona and her son are surviving. “I came to the project when I heard it was for housewives, the unemployed of all ages, all religions and politics,” Petrona says. Until Genesis begins production – hopefully in June – and they start earning a salary, Petrona and Geovany, will find a way to continue to come to the cooperative because they can’t afford to lose the two years and nearly 2,000 hours they have invested in their business.

Petrona, Geovany and all the other members of the co-op need people to think big with them.

That’s what we mean by shared risk: they have risked their families’ futures in a way that most of us cannot imagine, and now they need other people to take a risk by helping finance their project.

If you know anyone with “patient capital” willing to invest with the poor, we are looking for folks to lend money to the CDCA’s Shared Risk Investment Fund for 5 years at 0-5% interest. Please have them write us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org

-- Becca

Bucknell Brigade Visit to El Porvenir

The Center was fortunate to host a Brigade from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, from 5-13 January. As always they take one day to go to El Porvenir, the organic coffee cooperative with which we work closely.

This cooperative is an amazing testimony to the power of people working together for the common good. They disagree in religion and politics, but they agree on economics…to take care of each other and therefore have a quality of life that would otherwise be unheard of. They work together, share their resources including donations, and they keep the 2000 acres that would have long ago been taken by a bank.

This trip included 31 people. El Porvenir is 100 a kilometer trip but it takes well over three and a half hours to get there, because 26 kilometers is down a dirt road and the last 5 kilometers is straight up the mountain…no hairpin curves on this baby!

With this large of a group we take the bus and two other vehicles. We get to the bottom of the mountain, we usually split the group up…half ride in the trucks and half ride in a trailer pulled by the cooperative’s tractor BUT THIS time, the co-op was hosting another group of close to twenty and had the tractor in use…so up we go with 31 people in two trucks. Many bargains were made with the universe if we made it safely…fortunately those bargains are now being called in.

The importance of this brigade going to see these amazing people is two-fold…for the students to learn and for their campus doctor to see patients. Dr. Don Stechschulte has now come to Nicaragua 22 times…the community claims him as their primary care giver. Imagine that! Access to your primary care giver 2 or 3 times a year, but that is life in the remote areas of Nicaragua.

-- Kathleen

Purísima -- The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

During the month of December the people of Nicaragua are celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, called Purísima, which is by far the largest holiday in the country. The celebrations are loudest on the 8^th of December during the Gritería,or Shouting, which is a bit like Christmas caroling and Trick-or-Treating rolled into one. Families show their gratitude for miracles that the Virgin Mary has granted them by setting up altars to the Virgin in front of their houses. Neighbors come to the altars, sing traditional songs to the Virgin, and then are given gifts – they go from altar to altar, often filling sacks with their bounty.

I am always so humbled by this extreme show of generosity, often the poorest neighborhoods give the most – and most practical – gifts. Families save all year to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary. Throughout the year they buy as they can: woven rattles,wooden noisemakers, plastic containers, soap,. bowls, buckets. In early December days are spent in preparation: making chicha (a sweet corn drink the color of Pepto Bismal), ginger candy, nacatamales and cookies; buying sugar cane, nancite fruits, oranges and firecrackers. On the 8^th of December a table is put out in front of the house and covered with a cloth. On the table goes a polished statue, or a gold-framed picture of the Virgin Mary hovering with celestial angels. Around the image white baby’s breath flowers are arranged with candles, tinsel, balloons, and the whole altar, sometimes quite elaborate, is framed in palm fronds. Sacks of gifts are hauled out and placed near the altar, along with buckets of chicha-filled bags, fresh nacatamales and fruit – many times whole rooms of the house have been occupied by these gifts. By evening, the men of the families are ready: at 6 o’clock on the dot, they light the mortar launchers and fireworks pierce the air at once, all over the country. It sounds like a war zone. Then mariachi and brass bands start up, and groups of families weave through the streets carrying sacks, stopping at each altar to shout “¿Quién causa tanta alegría? ¡La concepción de María!” “Who causes so much joy? The conception of Mary!” ¡Que viva María! ¡Que viva!

Then each group, paused before the altar, sings traditional Purísima songs to the image of the Virgin Mary, as the family with the altar begins to pass out gifts. Those who have received good fortune and even miracles show their gratitude to the Virgin Mary through their generosity to Her people. It seems to me an entirely appropriate way of showing thanks – by giving with wild abandon to all those who show up on our doorsteps. -- Becca

Mike a finalist for Opus Prize!

We are pleased to announce that Mike Woodard was a finalist for the Opus Prize. This award is given annually by a different university chosen by a family foundation. Spotters are all over the world nominate people for this prestigious award for humanitarian work in faith-based entrepreneurship. The Opus Prize awards one million dollars to the winner and one hundred thousand dollars each to two finalists.

You can read what they wrote about Mike and see the video about him at: http://www.opusprize.org/winners/08_Woodard.cfm

A committee of business people like Bill Gates, Sr, and the James D. Sinegal, CEO of Costco chose the three finalists unanimously. Afterwards three student/professor pairs from the university go and visit the site and get to know each finalist. The university hosts the awards ceremony. Seattle U did a terrific job so that the award would be a good reason to inspire their students. It was a 3-day affair and the ceremony itself was held in Seattle’s Symphony Hall…and it was full (2,500 people).

All three people were indeed inspiring. Mike challenged students and leaders to deal with the poverty in front of them as well as letting go of their wealth and giving it to the poor. As only Mike can, he brought laughter as well as tears in his talks, Maggy brought joy and Krishnammal brought urgency.

The other finalist was Krishnammal Jagannathan and the winner was Marguerite “Maggy” Barankitse . Krishnammal has worked with the Dalit women(we may know as the Untouchable Class) in India for over 40 years. Maggy was witness to a massacre by her tribal people the Tutsi of 72 of her co-workers and friends, the Hutus. She then set up a house for orphans that started with children she paid the killers not to kill. It has since spread over the last 15 years to include thousands of orphans. These women are remarkable and we are honored to have Mike in their company.

Many have asked, “What will you do with $100,000?” Our standard reply, “We have spent it 5 times over.” Krishnammal in her acceptance speech said she still needed to build 10,000 houses before she died (at least $200,000) and Maggy said, “Where is Bill Gates… I need $18 million!” Work with the poor never ends and there is always, ALWAYS more and more to do. -- Kathleen