| I loan because: |
My experience within Asian and Latin American developing nations has been that poverty and the despair it creates are endless until a functioning civil society can be established. The chronically undernourished, the illiterate and the ethnically marginalized cannot build economic, civil and democratic institutions. A strong, efficacious middle class has historically demanded the environmental, educational, political, economic, civil and judicial reforms that many countries so desperately need. It develops human capital, empowers women and families and sustains entire communities. I first became interested in micro-finance while working as a correspondent in Cambodia; I saw land mine amputees and Khmer Rouge veterans regain their dignity and independence by selling books rather than begging. |
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