drew moser: It's about empowerment, not just handouts. . .

journal : : field notes

It's about empowerment, not just handouts. . .

25 May 2007

I firmly believe that the key to eliminating extreme poverty is empowering the poor. I'm not opposed to handouts; I probably have a more favorable view of handouts than most people. I believe most people justify not dropping a dollar in the homeless man's coffee cup not because of how he might spend it, but because we love our dollar too much to part with it. The 'they'll just spend it on booze' rationale, while possibly true, is all too convenient.

I digress...When given the choice between empowering the poor or just handing out something, I'll choose empowerment. Empowerment acknowledges that the poor really do have the skills, the drive, and the ability to lift themselves out of poverty.

With that said, check out KIVA. You provide the money in the form of a microloan direct (well, through Kiva) to a businessperson in the 1/3 world of your choice. You get regular updates on the growth of the business, and the lender repays the loan (again, through Kiva) to you in small bits. You can either withdraw your funds, and know that they were used to empower someone in the 1/3 world, or you can continue to reinvest the money into other loan opportunities.

Consider the impact a mere $100 might have. You could continually reloan that money and empower scores of small business entrepreneurs. Your $100 could help 10 or more families rise up and make poverty history in their own lives.

Or, of course, you can spend the $100 at the mall. Your choice...

Labels: justice, kiva, mircolending, poverty