Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

At the end of September this year I will climb the 9,850’ Mount Mulanje massif in Malawi on a 3 day trek. In doing so, I would love to raise as much money as possible for the Microloan Foundation.

The Foundation is a registered charity and gives some of the poorest women in sub Sahara Africa the means and the opportunity to work their way out of poverty for good. Your donations will provide small but life changing loans to women who then establish sustainable micro-businesses.  Through essential business training and mentoring the Foundation empowers women to start up their own businesses, enabling them to feed, improve the health of and educate their families. The average loan is just £50 - £60.  When the money is repaid (99% of the loans are re-paid within 4 months) the funds can then go on to help someone else and so on, ad infinitum.

The Foundation has made microloans to over 27,000 women and their families... who are 'active' at the minute. Each of those women has an average of five dependents - either their own children or orphans whom they have taken on as their own.

Microloan offers a ‘hand-up’, not a ‘hand-out’.

Malawi is among the world’s least developed and poorest countries in the world.  90% of Malawians are ‘ultra-poor’ and live on less than $1 a day. 

The microloans powerfully impact their recipients. Many women have doubled their income and have also grown some savings. Those who have directly benefitted say:

•         67% spend more on education

•         92% spend more on health

•         75% have improved their homes

•         87% can look after their dependents better

•         78% have more food at home

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Please dig deep and donate now. 

Visit Microloan's website - www.microloanfoundation.org.uk - to see examples of their success stories. Here is a video on the Foundation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbbEN9tM1p8

Thank you again for taking the time to visit my fundraising page and for making a donation... I can't think of a better investment!

Vwirane.

 XXDiana

‎"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha