Sayyada was a door-to-door salesperson in Dar-es-Salaam the capital of Tanzania, who dealt in various kinds of merchandise; she sells bed linen, handbags, shoes, bed sheets, and fabrics and makes about $12-15 in a day’s hard work. She has 3 children and her husband Suleiman is a worker in a factory that manufactures transformers and switchgear. The crippling drought during the early years of the 21st century has seriously affected electricity generation as some 60 percent of Tanzania’s electricity supply is generated through hydroelectricity. This has had an impact on industry and Suleiman feared that he could be laid off as the factory faced a severe shortage of electricity on most days. Sayyada’s income was barely adequate to feed her family and keep them above subsistence level. The family consisted of her 2 children, Suleiman and his parents.

I have visited the country quite a few times and been encouraged by the fact that the government has taken an active interest in microfinance in Tanzania. The National Microfinance Policy of 2001 ensured that banks also helped in the task of poverty eradication. Micro-lending has been recognized as a tool for social regeneration and economic revival. Hearing from her sister that the local bank was considering proposals for micro-loans, Sayyada talked to her husband about it. Their home had an area in front that Sayyada felt could be built up as a small restaurant that served snacks and drinks. Despite Suleiman’s initial hesitation, Sayyada went ahead with her idea. She went to the bank with her father-in-law Mohammed and put forth her proposal and also described her difficult circumstances with her family of 6 members. Her microloan of $750 was sanctioned within a week.

Now almost a year later, Sayyada is a happy woman. Her small eatery is running well with its menu of choice Tanzanian snacks and beverages and her son and daughter are enrolled in the local school. Suleiman’s parents feel useful and wanted, as her mother-in-law does the cooking and father-in-law manages the restaurant. Sayyada is still running her business, while her husband has his job. The loan is almost fully paid and now both husband and wife plan to take another to enlarge the café and also buy more stocks for Sayyada’s door-to-door trade. If all goes well, she plans to hire an assistant to help her father-in-law in the café and also one for helping her in her sales. Suleiman is fully convinced and deeply admires his wife’s grit and resolve to help her family lead a better life.

Micro-finance is an amazing tool that helps those in dire poverty and marginal circumstances to come out of the vicious circle. Just a small amount of money can help people overcome their difficult circumstances and lead lives of dignity and happiness. Club Asteria is inspired by such stories of determination and courage and does its small bit to encourage micro-lending and finance. We invite you to join us and participate in this effort to help those in need. All it takes is some initiative and a little money and soul satisfaction is guaranteed.

Tags: bed linen, electricity generation, son and daughter

Nepal’s women are amongst the poorest in the world and this adds to their feeling of helplessness and misery, considering the society that they live in. During my visits to Nepal, I have noticed the grinding poverty and the terrible conditions. The majority of these women live in rural Nepal, where the primary activity is subsistence-level farming. These poor Nepalese women who lack confidence due to illiteracy and discrimination are rarely able to access the credit necessarily to pursue microenterprises and any other income-generating projects.

Nepal is a beautiful country that has always been a favorite of mine during my frequent travels in Asia. But for several reasons, it has remained mired in dire economic straits, with most people except those in upscale Kathmandu the capital, living a hand-to-mouth existence. Manasi was one such woman living in a remote village near Pokhara, the alluring hill resort city, surrounded by lakes and mountains. I met her during one of the outreach programs of a local NGO.

The splendor of the landscape does not mitigate the poverty that is evident in the shabby hut and squalor around it. A small vegetable garden grows potatoes, leeks and radishes. Manasi has a family of 4; her husband, mother-in-law and one baby daughter. It is a constant struggle to survive, with very little income from the few hens they reared and the 2 cows. Manasi’s day began at the crack of dawn, when she took the cattle out to graze and ended late at night after she cooked the frugal meal for the family. Her husband did little or no work and was regular with his drinking binges every night.

Manasi tries her best like all the women in the small village; working hard, looking after the children, tending to the vegetable patch, taking care of the livestock and generally living a life of total drudgery with little hope for the future. It was then that a microfinance loan initiative came right to her doorstep. Working through a local NGO, local women farmers were given 100% loans working on a group guarantee. Manasi received an amount that to her was an incredible amount of money, around $500 through a direct outreach to mobilize rural women in her area.

Manasi increased her landholding, which gave her a bigger area for her vegetables. Then, she bought more hens and finally managed to repair the roof of her hut. From a position of abject poverty and no say in decision-making, today Manasi runs her poultry business, sells her vegetable and has also more cows. Group training for women has given Manasi and other women of her village a better social status, whereby she is able to look after her family and also admonish her husband when needed. She is an empowered woman with her own income and can look forward to a brighter future.

I am happy to say that this microloan extended to Manasi and the other women has not just helped them but also the next generation, as women now keep their daughters in school longer and also delay their marriages until the right age.

These stories of women’s empowerment in places like Nepal gives us a sense of achievement in Club Asteria. We support such microloan programs all over the world and we ask you to join us to augment our efforts. Just a small amount of money can make an enormous difference in someone’s life and you can be part of it!

The devastating ethnic conflict of around 2 decades and the terrible destruction of the tsunami in 2004 have ravaged the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. A land of beauty and natural splendor with a friendly, warm and charming people, Sri Lanka has faced more than its share of man made and natural disasters.

I have visited Sri Lanka several times including its capital Colombo and have seen with my own eyes the sufferings of the people due to the tsunami. It caused havoc of epic proportions that had to be seen to be believed. Fishing has always been a lucrative profession on the island but 80% of fishing boats in Sri Lanka were destroyed by the tsunami. The country lost a national source of nutrition and around 170,000 fishermen lost their means of livelihood.

Mahinda de Silva, a fisheries expert, has estimated that the country needs 12,000 of the 21-footers, plus nets and other equipment, to get the industry functioning again. They cannot be constructed locally, as most of the 50 plants for small boat manufacture have also been washed away by the tsunami. A massive restoration plan is needed to rebuild the fishing industry after the disaster. Macro loans for factories and micro loans for fishermen are needed to aid the recovery process.

Jayathilaka has been a fisherman all the 46 years of his life and does not know any other skill. The tsunami literally wiped out his way of life and left him and his family of 7 members in all, in a state of shock. There were no boats, no tackle, no nets, nothing at all to go out to sea and catch fish to feed themselves and sell for sheer survival. There was no way that he could get a bank loan as he was too poor to provide collateral.

It was a microloan from a finance company that saved Jayathilaka and his family. Armed with Rs. 25,000, he bought a 2^nd-hand fiberglass boat and some fishing nets and the next morning bright and early, he went out to sea. The very same sea that had caused such destruction and loss, but it was a bond that could not be broken as Jayathilaka was wedded to the sea. Things could only get better after this; slowly but surely, he began to make profits and returned the initial loan amount. Now he is planning on buying his 2^nd boat and also sending his 3 younger children back to school. His eldest son accompanies him on his fishing trips.

Microfinance is an effective way to help the poor and marginalized in many countries to generate income and finding a way out of grinding poverty. Club Asteria finds a ray of hope in such stories of revival and will continue working for such communities around the world. We trust you will join us on this voyage of discovery to support the many that

Hi, I’m Andrea Lucas, Managing Director of Club-Asteria. Club-Asteria is an online global membership organization that provides education, business opportunities, e-commerce and innovative programs to empower our members.  Please visit our site at www.club-asteria.com to learn about our programs and services and our goals for the future and read about our philanthropic activities in the News.

I have now started the series of blogs so I can share my views and experiences with all of my family and friends and the extended community of people that are interested in global affairs.

Everything in my life that I have lived through – both good and bad, has brought me to this moment in time.  I now have the ability to contribute to some of society’s most critical and pressing issues – the plight of hundreds of millions of people that still live in poverty despite the advances in our social network and technology.  Human beings just like you and I who don’t enjoy the simple advantages of clean drinking water, reliable electricity, adequate shelter, the simplest of health care, food and education.

As I have traveled the world in my position in the financial community I have experienced first- hand this injustice and tragedy of humanity.  My life today is dedicated to not only sharing the plight of these undeserved people of the world but more importantly to serve as a catalyst of change to truly benefit their individual lives.  I hope that you will enjoy reading about my many experiences and the people I meet and can lend support to.

My blogs will touch on a variety of subjects, from e-commerce to financial support to philanthropic assistance to most importantly, education that can benefit each of the individuals and families that we are seeking to help.