Sunday, February 2, 2014

Loan a little. Change a lot


Dear Friends,

You want to do something good. You have some spare cash; maybe Rs. 500, 5000, 20,000, any number. You want to get it back after being used in the right direction. That’s where Milaap, a 4-year old microfinance firm, comes in.

I’m writing this post to let you know that you can make a difference in betterment of the needy NOT by donation but by enabling them to earn their bread and butter or serve basic needs like water and sanitation. They not only repay you your entire amount through monthly installments, but also become self reliant. Basically, you are replacing the rich and rude sahukaar who not only charges a whopping interest from the villagers who are in need but also enslaves and harasses them till no end. 

I have chosen five profiles who were all tricked into trafficking earlier (Devadasi) and are now trying to rebuild their life. They are mostly single mothers who are having a hard time taking care of their children with the meager amount of money they earn. By giving them a loan, you are not only making them more independent but also giving a better future to their children. Each profile repays within 18 months starting 1st April 2014 (Quick fact about Milaap: Since their operations from 2010, there hasn't been a single default).  You won’t get interest; only your full amount and blessings. Plus a whole lot of self-satisfaction.

So what do you need to do? Simply follow the following steps:

Step 1: Click on Milaap.org and sign in ; read FAQs if you need more info
Step 2: Click on one of the links that I have mentioned below
Step 3: Make a loan (starting with as little as Rs. 500);  let me know (or not) ; start getting repaid from 1st April 2014 to 1st October 2015 by monthly installments; reuse that money and smile!

List of profiles that I have chosen; you can, however, lend to anyone you want: 

1 - A 50-year old single mother and her group in Karnataka who wants to expand their animal rearing and brick manufacturing operations:

2- Your loan will help Kamal K Dodamani and Group to kick-start a cattle-rearing business:

3 - Your loan will help Lalita K Harijan and Group to purchase raw material for masala powder business:  

4 - Your loan will help Yallavva Shinge and Group to expand beauty parlour and other small businesses:  

5 - Your loan will help Kavita Sanadi and Group to expand their small scale textiles and buffalo and goat rearing businesses:  

Do spare a few minutes to check out the website. Let me know if you want to know anything else.

Thankyou and much love,
Nisha

P.S. Towards the end of this activity, the husband has pledged to loan as much as the highest lender that I'm able to inspire subject to a certain upper limit :)


Updated to add on 26th February 2014: 3 borrowers, 6 lenders and many more who have pledged to contribute by the coming Sunday. We are getting there. In a few days, I'll be sharing the names of these golden hearts. Won't you join them?

21 comments:

  1. thanks for the information

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  2. Anonymous2/03/2014

    Great initiative.

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    Replies
    1. Hopefully something will come out of it.

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  3. You have spread a good message.The whole scheme is trust based and will sustain when promises are kept.The interest free small loans help them to rebuild their lives.Will see the links.Nice work,Nisha

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    1. Thankyou, KP. It is a month long activity. I will see what I can do to publicize it as much as possible.

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  4. This is a fantastic initiative. It is good that you are spreading awareness about it! I have already contributed earlier to this cause.

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    1. Then you should write about it again. With the no. of followers you have, who knows how many you end up inspiring! Go for it!

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  5. Done! For Lalita K Harijan.

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  6. What's just a couple of thousands for us can change the direction of someone's life, is indeed a sobering thought.

    Will contribute.

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    Replies
    1. Strangely enough, not many people think that. Right now, I'm quite disappointed with the response..
      Thankyou for your generosity! It means a lot.

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  7. That's a wonderful initiative, Thanks for sharing the info.

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    Replies
    1. I hope this helps someone.

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    2. I hope this helps someone.

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  8. Anonymous2/25/2014

    You know I write for them, as a volunteer. The stories you see on the web few of them have been written by me and yes I lend a little loan every now and then :).

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    Replies
    1. That's really nice. I'm trying hard to gather loans.. lets see how far I can go :)

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  9. Dear Nisha,

    Thank you for doing this! No, not featuring me on your blog, but for writing it the way I think. Yes, people will write for free products, but for a cause they somehow lose their creativity.

    Congratulations on raising the amount. That was humongous. And yes, I won't say well done for the win, as you rightly put it. Nothing can compare to the feeling of being able to make a difference.

    Shine on!

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    1. Thankyou, and congratulations to you too! My lenders were very few but very generous. I was glad to see the number of contributors you had. And that's why I said what I said in my C for Contest post.
      Hopefully people will keep coming back to our posts and keep lending. That is actually the greatest feeling :)

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  10. Congratulations, Nisha! Well done girl! For raising so much for such a noble cause. I am so proud of you.

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Your sweetness makes my day. Gentle criticism will be taken in the right spirit too :)