By James M. Helms on September 7, 2009
In the near future I’ll be taking a few days and visiting Nicaragua. I’m going as a member of a team to assess micro-finance implementation and complete a needs assessment. The micro-financing project was started over a year and a half ago. The capital that was used to initially start the program has been paid back with interest to over 60 borrowers. The loans have been averaging over $100 per borrower. As the loans have been repaid new loans have been issued with some interest income set aside for operating costs.
Why we Need to Assess the Process
We are hoping to extend the program and infuse an additional $100,000 by the end of the year. By refining the processes that were used during the testing phase we’re going to be more prepared to manage a larger amount of capital. Problems or shortcomings that exist with a small amount of money are going to be greatly magnified as the loan portfolio grows. We are offering really small loans so keeping costs low is a top priority.
Micro-Finance Sustainability
Micro-finance is a great way to have a positive impact on communities around the world. If a micro-finance program isn’t sustainable then it creates a vacuum for funding which can create a drain for small and large organizations alike. In order to ensure that our program can sustain itself we need to keep our operating costs as low as possible yet still be able to manage growth. Continue reading “Visiting Nicaragua | Microfinance Process Assessment”
Posted in Micro-Credit |
By James M. Helms on September 7, 2009
For individuals interested in getting the word out about the Formitus Business as Mission Resource page there is a new tool. FormIt.us is a link shortening tool that also frames in a link back to the Business as Mission site. When you send links to articles about Business as Mission the same individuals interested in the article that you sent will also be interested in additional resources, it’s a great way to get valuable resources to people quickly.
Why Would You Need to Shorten a Link?
When you create a link to a page (or download) around the web the address can get really long. It creates a lot of clutter and can confuse people. Likewise if you use micro-blogging sites like Twitter you only have 140 characters to work with. Rather than use a default link shortener help get the word out about the Resources page by using Form It.
Posted in Tools |
By James M. Helms on September 2, 2009
Poverty is an enormous problem throughout the world. While many recognize that poverty exists there are many different schools of thought on the best steps to eradicate it. There are many advocates of micro-credit and there are critics as well. This post isn’t going to answer the question in finality, I’m simply raising the question for reflection and perhaps discussion. While I have a working answer (that may change as I take this journey) I’m only one voice, I invite you to weigh in with your own insight.
Defining Poverty
Before we can adequately answer the question we have to first define what poverty is. In Muhammad Yunus book “Creating a World Without Poverty” he wrote “Every country and every region will probably have their own definition of poverty…At Grameen Bank, we had to develop our own definition of poverty so that we would be able to measure our success in helping people rise out of poverty through micro-credit”. He goes on to write ten points that they utilize for measuring the poverty of their borrowers.
For this post I’m going to simplify things. I’ll use Wikipedia’s definition of poverty taken from the Encarta Encyclopedia that says “Poverty is the condition of lacking basic human needs such as nutrition, clean water, health care, clothing, Continue reading “Does Micro-Credit Reduce Poverty?”
Posted in Micro-Credit |
By James M. Helms on August 24, 2009
Well, I’ve been a busy person lately. I’ve launched into the MBA program at Concordia University (I’m procrastinating on completing a case study right now) and created a couple sites that I wanted to share with you this past month…
I’m always looking for resources and sites, in particular I’ve been looking for Information on Business as Mission. Come to find out there isn’t a ton out there so I created and have launched a site at http://resources.formitus.com. The site allows the visitor to search for submitted sites and submit sites and resources for others to find. One of the features of the site is the ability to vote up articles, information, or resources that users find most valuable.
In addition I created a link shortening site found at http://formit.us where the user can drop in long links and have them converted into shorter links. If you use micro-blogging sites like Twitter it’s nice to have shorter links so that you can write a bit more (Many times you are limited to 140 characters, which isn’t much). The twist with FormIt is that you the user also helps direct people to the Formitus resource page by dropping a frame into the browser.
I’m assuming that most people who shorten links use other tools, this one is specifically for using when directing an audience to Business as Mission pages (Though it can be used for any link).
FormIt.us… “Linking Business to Mission Resources Since 2009″ 
Next year it will sound like it’s been around for a whole year! Have a good one,
James
Posted in Tools |
By James M. Helms on August 24, 2009
Banker to The Poor presents micro-credit in a way that is both readable and understandable. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the author of the book was also the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 (shared with Grameen Bank). The book starts more than 40 years ago, including the early life of Muhammad Yunus. Yunus also discuses some of the historical/political issues leading up to and after gaining independence from Pakistan.
The book covers some of the early foundations that led up to creation of what is now the Grameen Bank. Likewise is covers the need for change within social systems in order to alleviate poverty. In many cases poverty is not the result of inaction, it’s the result of the lack of opportunity. In Bangladesh (and most of the world) credit is extended to people if they have some form of collateral to back up the loan. This automatically disqualifies a great number of people from getting traditional credit to begin with.
The result of a lack of credit is presented within the book. People’s only option for credit is limited to money changers in a local economy. Money changers sometimes charge huge amounts of interest on a daily loan causing the borrower to work all day for mere pennies. With one loan an individual in poverty can break the cycle and start using their own daily savings and start generating a return that leads them out of poverty.
From the earliest days of loaning $27 U.S. to a small community to loaning over $6.5 billion combined to date; the Grameen Bank has grown into a very successful micro-lending institution. The success of Grameen didn’t stop with a lending institution. There have been many different businesses created through Grameen, including a joint venture with Danone yogurt to provide nutritious, affordable food to the poor.
Bangladesh, a country roughly the size of the U.S. State Louisiana, is the 7th most populous country in the world with over 160 million people. Regardless of the high density of people living there it is also recognized as being one of the Next Eleven emerging economies. Since 1991 the poverty rate has fallen over 20%, some would suggest that this reduction in poverty is due in great part to micro-credit, I would agree.
Posted in books |
By James M. Helms on June 15, 2009
Let me first preface this entire post and say that it’s a blog post, not a research paper. Let me also say that I don’t have a ton of experience writing about Central Asia. That being said I do think about Central Asia often and have spent 15 months smack dab in the middle of it. This experience doesn’t inherently qualify me to speak about imperialism, rather my experiences and pondering compel me to speak anyway.
Imperialism-It’s both an action and an attitude. I think it’s common to first think about the Imperialist policies towards the African continent in the 18th and 19th century. Likewise I think that it’s easy to regard the word “imperialism” as an action or attitude of the past because it’s taught in history classes. When I think of the word imperialism I perhaps over simplify it by equating it to words like rape, pillage, burn, destroy, control, and dominate, but mostly in an economic sense.
While we may or may not be deriving monetary gain directly through oil or other exports out of the countries that we are occupying, there certainly are beneficiaries of economic gain indirectly from our presence there. Likewise we are seeking to dominate the region with a military presence and through political dominance of governments that we have helped to install. These governments have limited power and influence in the region and are currently only kept in place through our military presence. Continue reading “About The Imperialist Attitude Towards Central Asia”
Posted in Other | Tagged imperialism |
By James M. Helms on June 13, 2009
A very interesting book that I had the privelege of reading recently was “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy“, you can follow the link for a preview of the book on Google books.
Granted, this book isn’t for everybody. If you’re similar to me and interested in understanding how global economies and trade work this would be an interesting read for you. The author, Pietra Rivoli, goes into much painstaking detail about how tee-shirts are brought into the market…and beyond. Continue reading “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy”
Posted in books | Tagged global, t-shirt |
By James M. Helms on June 12, 2009
Quite recently I and my business partner were returning back from presenting a proposal. It was a 2 hour drive and I spent some of the time reflecting on how the presentation went. It’s exciting to consider landing a larger project and some of the benefits that would inherently come with a new sale. The project was in fact quite large, it would firmly plant our business on safe ground through the next year. In fact there were a few proposals during the same week that we had been pitching. Three weeks earlier we had discussed a goal for the year, landing each of the projects that we pitched would allow us to meet and exceed those goals, even though we still have six months left.
Not just meeting but exceeding a lofty goal before the year was even half over? Imagine that. Why had I not been this aggressive last year, I wondered. Rather than simply thinking I blurted out, maybe I have a fear of success? and thus began a discussion that finally resulted in this post to you, reader person. Is it possible to have an internal fear of success that debilitates you in an unconscious way? Continue reading “Can You Have a Fear of Success?”
Posted in Other | Tagged success |
By James M. Helms on June 12, 2009
One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
On the way to Central America this year I stopped into a borders bookstore in the Huston airport and purchased a couple of books for the journey. One of the books was “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson & David Relin, here’s a preview of the book. A couple of things about Greg caught my eye as I hungrily launched into the book. Greg and I had a couple things in common. We were both Army Medics and we both attended a Concordia University.
Of course there are plenty of things that we don’t have in common. Greg is almost 4 inches taller than my 6′0. He was a mountaineer, climbing a great portion of K2, the second highest peak in the world. Likewise he doesn’t seem to have a problem with being late. Suffice it to say that we had a couple things in common.
What’s so Awesome About This Book? Continue reading “Three Cups of Tea | a Brief Review”
Posted in books | Tagged three cups of tea |
By James M. Helms on June 12, 2009
Seriously, lifes a journey. I’ve been around for long enough to know that life is never dull and is simply a journey. This site is a bit different than other sites that I have created in that I don’t have a point, rather I need a place to spend some time writing, thinking, posting, about trivial things and perhaps not so trivial.
Have you ever tried keeping a journal, or a blog? I’ve done so many times. The one thing that I’ve always done is start a blog with a point. Without fail I get somewhat bored with the topic or niche and the blog just slowly fades away. It fades away because the topic is niche, it’s always been limited to a niche, there wasn’t room for anything else. Every time I wanted to write about something that I was interested in it just wouldn’t fit. You can’t just post about anything on a niche site, there’s no context, people need context.
I suppose I just haven’t been able to mix one interest with another. It hasn’t seemed right to mix a topic of photography with marketing, the topics are just too far apart. Not this blog though, I’m going to write about whatever I want to, yes sir.
I spilled coffee in the header from the start (is it still there?). This isn’t going to be a picture perfect place. It’s not going to be a lame attempt at perfection. It’s simply a place to blog about whatever it is that interests me at the time. Feel free to visit, comment, whatever, glad you stopped by.
Posted in Other | Tagged first post |
