Gba Snapshot Feb 2009

snapshot a glimpse into the daily work of global business assist around the world

HELPING THE WORLD'S POOR... HELP THEMSELVES

gba

February 09

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A Little Goes a Long Way

ust north of the town of Akuem, in the remote state of Bahr el Ghazal in Southern Sudan, agricultural cultivation goes on much as it has for centuries. Occasionally, a Sudanese family may gain access to some new tools to greatly assist in their painstaking labor – a much needed blessing as they toil under the hundred plus degree sun. But more often than not, plots are small, the work is difficult, and families barely eke out a living in this harsh environment. Under such difficult working conditions, it is no wonder that few Sudanese live to reach fifty years of age. But in this era of modern technology, solutions to increase the crop yields of these farmers and ease their manual labor are uncomplicated – and inexpensive. You see, in Southern Sudan a little gift can go a long way toward helping the least fortunate. Take, for instance, the Christmas gift of a GBA donor this year for two villages in Bahr el Ghazal Two young farmers working their field in in the towns of Marolwol and Warawar. With a Northern Bahr el Ghazal donation of just $400, the following purchases and transformation took place for two agricultural groups of forty women each: 3 treadle pumps for water 6 sets of piping for irrigation 48 hoes 8 kilograms of okra seed 9 kilograms of watermelon seed 9 kilograms of eggplant seed One quarter kilogram of onion seed One quarter kilogram of tomato seed 70 buckets $100 remaining for agricultural training for these women

snapshot

global business assist

M icro - credit f or S udan ’ s Bahr el Ghazal region...

As little as a hundred dollars can transform a family forever.

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s a result of this one $400 gift, over eighty women and just as many families have been empowered to help themselves! How many times have you seen such a small amount of money positively impact the lives so many? For GBA this is only the beginning in Bahr el Ghazal. In the fall of 2009, GBA and its partners hope to create the first micro-lending institution in the Akuem region. Working through women in local churches and others in the community, our plan is to provide both the training and capital necessary to pull hundreds, if not thousands of families out of extreme poverty in this region. More than ever, GBA needs your Sudanese women with their Christmas gift partnership to accomplish this of empowerment monumental goal. A few small agricultural gifts to an area are rather straightforward, but it is entirely another matter to create a financial institution that can successfully manage hundreds of loans and their repayment. Our success in Ghana has proven we have the tools necessary to accomplish this ambitious goal. However, in this challenging economic time, GBA has yet to secure the funding for this new venture. Sixty-five thousand dollars is what is required to be available by September in order to change the lives of thousands in Bahr el Ghazal through this Enterprise Relief effort. Will you consider being a part of a historic opportunity in an area of Sudan that has never seen this type of capacity-building assistance? Thank you for your confidence in GBA as we change the world – one small business at a time. Sincerely -

Douglas Mann, President helping the world's poor... help themselves w w w. g b a . o r g • i n fo @ g b a . o r g 6 0 W. Te rr a C o t t a Ave . , S u i t e 1 9 7 • C r y s t a l L a ke , I L 6 0 0 1 4