ÿWPCs &' \Ég>jål†–ŸFƒk¤±¡@§õã™j³âδ>àòxSßVVKˆeg ØY;¸–Ì¿‡šë¡¥)Ô„óVjÄùFb9‘)®¯–´s¼b !l!ä '•ó”Ô‚Ç~ ̦,€7–/jSªt„žKŠc™kÀ”©×ÜËst`Ë縄%”7Æ4kΪñ~¢‰w0ÖùHrôwš“S1l•x^tlš ˆYáÜj™žG‘¾Õßœ5i’„˜:ËðãJKr²³x [5zÏC“W´X\S­FÒ2v¹‹AHŸ8F8±†7>­µIfÂÚ·î•OØ—dIÐ`&ó ˜Q¤AîlÐ ½ÿ¦ÝOŸ^Šb*Ú7ÕÑBAƒWš‡%V]ZlÐÑ\j¯C½ð¡i-ÏÉ•£ÀŸ˜hkÓüŦ´ Ø£lJŸQQ½Â4vÀú—Ç Í%ßßš¨Ô $þH‹pìã=º&¼Ñd‡ÙqºN’Àô·55TP l+@Pð°€’³e4ˆî —ï#r5ºÆkd{~zþ¯Î¿úÙÒ+"§‹@µZÈShq*õÒé¾ üÖ¶/Ñ|Óû Æ,€SÉÅúÅNcˆ@¾FûÆó•q"œ*Þ<ºë;û ¥Ñ컿Š/æÉ¦–¬%#†TUNÚ %( 06.d˜Epson FX-80EPSON9,,,,0×&Ñ&Ñ÷ÿ4o×|% ‚ ðaê® Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(+G$¡¡ÔCEUSÔ3|x²Ý ƒ+G!ÝÔCEUSÔÝ  Ýò òòòÔ€çÜ_çXXÔGlobal€Microcredit€Summit,€Halifax,€N.S.,€CanadaÐ ° Ðby€Bill€KrampeÌ[sidebar:€Jamii€Bora]Ì€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€December€1,€2006óóó óÔ€»Ü_»ççÜ_ÔÐ H ˜ ÐÌÌÌThe€Global€Microcredit€Summit€held€in€Halifax,€Nova€Scotia,€Canada€fromÏNovember€12€„€15,€2006€was€a€wonderful€success€and€brought€many€of€the€2000+Ïdelegates€from€113+€countries€together€to€begin€new€relationships€and€make€newÏcontacts.€€And€of€course€new€possibilities€for€expanding€upon€all€the€good€work€theÏmicrocredit€movement€has€achieved€thus€far.ÌÌFrom€my€own€humble€experience,€ò òòòKIVA€ó óóóand€ò òòòJamii€Bora€ó óóówere€the€two€mostÐ Ã  Ðinspiring€organizations€that€showed€up€at€the€Summit€for€the€5€day€and€5€nightÏconference.€€These€two€groups€bookended€the€two€extremes€of€the€Summit,€if€youÏcould€call€it€that.€€KIVA€highlights€the€high€tech,€web€site„intensive€"profiling"Ïaspects€of€the€world€of€the€future,€that€is€the€possible€future€world€of€thisÏaccelerating€microphenomenon,€along€with€KIVA's€side€by€side€social€net€efforts.€€ÌÌJamii€Bora€has€mostly€worked,€on€the€other€hand,€with€people€intensive€effortsÏalmost€exclusively,€that€is€the€much€heralded€super€Ph.D.€types€who€are€the€socialÏworkers€receiving€their€credentials€from€the€streets€and€from€the€horrendousÏcircumstances€of€much€suffering€in€the€rural€realm.€€These€unsung€heroes€andÏheroines€were€and€are€constantly€striving€to€reach€all€who€need€it€in€this€rapidlyÏexpanding€microeffort€in€Kenya.€€They€provide€the€social€development€side€to€theÏeconomic€program€of€microcredit,€which€is€required€in€these€Kenyan€locales€muchÏmore€than€others€throughout€the€various€regions€and€around€the€world.€€The€socialÏworkers€minister€to€the€absolutely€most€desperately,€hopelessly€destitute,€which€is€aÏvery€much€grounded€effort,€with€little€high€tech€embellishments€nor€accoutrementsÏyet€with€some€surprising„„no,€that's€not€the€right€word„„ò òòòmiraculousóóó ó€success€storiesÐ Ž'Þ" Ðto€speak€about.€ÌÌÌÌÐ -e(# ÐLike€70,000€beggars€throughout€the€country,€who€are€beginning€to€claw€their€wayÏout€of€poverty.€€And€other€work€involving€young€and€old€suffering€from€HIV„¼ñ°ñ¼ñ°ñAIDS;€also,€many€success€stories€dealing€with€criminals!€€Some€of€these€successÏstories€tell€of€small,€humble€enterprises€a€little€like€the€ò òòòDawgfather€ó óóóhot€dog€standòòò òÐ Q Ðó óóóup€by€the€SUB€on€the€Dalhousie€University€campus,€for€example.€€And€even€someÐ  l Ðof€the€70,000€beggars€have€gone€on€to€own€and€manage€whole€networks€of€cookingÏkiosks€and€food€stands€throughout€their€home€region,€and€beyond,€in€some€cases.€ÏThese€accomplishments€are€awesome!€€Huge!€€ÌÌI€have€written€an€article€about€KIVA€that€appeared€in€our€Holiday,€2006€edition,Ïthat€is,€the€December,€2006,€Volume€9€#€5€issue.€€Right€now€I'd€like€to€focus€a€fewÏsidebar€thoughts€regarding€Jamii€Bora.€€One€of€Dr.€Muhammad€Yunus's€favourites,ÏI€think.€€Actually,€Dr.€Yunus€showed€some€favouritism€to€some€of€the€most€downÏand€out€among€the€poorest€of€the€poor,€who€were€represented€at€the€SummitÏconference,€this€past€November,€2006.€ÌÌYou€know,€of€all€the€gazillions€of€presenters€and€showy€and€quite€inspiring€publicÏdisplays€that€could€have€been€highlighted€at€the€final€moments€of€the€Closing€NightÏDinner,€Dr.Yunus€seemed€to€want€Jamii€Bora€to€get€the€spotlight.€€He€alwaysÏseemed€to€focus€on€the€very€poorest€of€the€poorest€of€the€poor,€the€ones€sufferingÏfrom€the€most€miserable€of€circumstances,€the€children€with€HIV„AIDS,€and€theÏpetty€criminals€who€didn't€have€a€chance€in€"normal"€society,€the€mothers€who€haveÏtried€to€endure€too€much€poverty€and€now€were€nearly€unintentionally€yet€for€real,Ïslouching€toward€suicide.ÌÌWhen€I€heard€what€it€takes€to€get€an€African€mother€to€start€to€consider€suicide,€IÏwas€beside€myself.€€I€thought€that€the€journey€to€where€they€finally€wound€upÏthinking€about€suicide€would€have€found€me€killing€myself€a€dozen€times€over,€at€aÏdozen€waystations€along€the€path,€at€least.€€What€I€mean€is€that€these€are€some€ofÏthe€toughest€women€around,€and€to€understand€what€they€have€to€endure€on€aÏregular€day€to€day€basis€is€to€try€to€contemplate€the€incomprehensible!€€To€endureÏso€much€and€just€soldier€on.€€Like€the€woman€who€lost€six€of€her€children€to€HIV„¼ñ°ñ¼ñ°ñAIDS.ÌÌIt€was€some€time€before€this,€around€the€middle€of€the€five€day€Summit€that€Dr.ÏYunus€stole€my€heart€and€soul,€with€not€only€his€microcredit€strategies€and€historyÏof€success€stories,€of€course€that€was€enough,€for€sure.€€But€what€really€did€it€wasÏhis€caring.€€Actually€a€particular€quality€of€caring.Ð —-ç(% ЇFor€example,€instead€of€hobnobbing€with€the€big€boys,€the€traditional€developmentÏbankers€who€showed€up€to€give€splashy€presentations,€or€the€United€Nations€bigÏshots,€who€were€passing€out€brochures€and€money€in€what€seemed€like€a€kind€ofÏPR€bribe€or€some€such€creepiness,€€Dr.€Yunus€seemed€to€favour€the€profoundlyÏdispossessed.€ÌÌHe€had€such€a€beautiful,€spiritual€side€that€came€out€during€his€talks€and€elongatedÏpress€conferences.€€A€real€caring€spirit,€that€seemed€to€be€speaking€from€anotherÏplanet€or€another€dimension€of€reality.€€You€couldn't€detect€this€consciousness€shiftÏright€away,€I€mean€shifting€inside€of€yourself€in€a€kind€of€communion€with€Dr.ÏYunus,€it€didn't€happen€immediately,€you€couldn't€just€sit€and€share€in€thisÏexperience€right€away,€especially€at€this€Summit€where€there€was€already€too€muchÏhappening€every€second€of€every€hour€of€every€day.€€What€I€mean€is€that€theÏfeeling€or€sensing€you€could€pick€up€on,€that€Dr.€Yunus€was€on€another€plane€ofÏreality€took€some€time.ÌÌBut€after€you€slowed€down€just€a€bit,€in€the€midst€of€all€the€hustle€and€bustle,€andÏquietly€listened€for€15€minutes€or€half€an€hour,€a€sensation€started€to€come€over€theÏroom,€a€sensation€that€I€have€heard€about,€and€I€think€I've€experienced€during€theÏrare€moment.€€A€spiritual€energy€field?€€I€don't€know.€€So€when€he€asked€us€toÏreally€listen€to€the€story€of€Jamii€Bora,€we€were€all€ears,€to€say€the€least.ÌÌThe€Jamii€Bora€social€workers€were€called€into€one€family€scene€that€just€about€tugsÏthe€heartstrings€to€cacaphony.€€One€hard€working€mother,€came€home€every€nightÏwith€a€few€measly€coins€which€was€all€she€had€to€show€for€her€long€hours€of€toil€atÏher€tiny€microbusiness.€€Once€in€the€door,€she€was€set€upon€by€her€family,€wantingÏto€steal€all€her€money€so€that€they€could€get€some€booze€and€get€drunk€during€theÏevening€hours.€€At€first€she€resisted.€€So€they€would€beat€her€until€she€relented€andÏcoughed€up€the€cash.€€Then€she€tried€hiding€her€money€and€claiming€she€didn'tÏhave€any€cash.€€Big€mistake.€€Many€more€vicious€beatings.€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ÌÌWhat€the€social€workers€finally€decided€to€do€was€to€separate€the€houshold.€€TheÏmostly€sons€in€the€family€were€sent€to€a€special€place€where€they€could€contemplateÏtheir€addictions,€with€respect€to€alcohol.€€It€took€a€long€time,€but€eventually€theyÏdid,€and€began€the€long€process€of€drying€out€and€finally€quitting.€€The€woman€wasÏsent€elsewhere€so€she€could€live€free€from€the€threats€and€violence€visited€her€byÏfamily.€€€An€uneasy€peace€seemed€to€prevail.ÌÐ —-ç(% ÐJamii€Bora€is€famous€for,€among€other€things,€the€fact€that€it€is€staffed€pretty€muchÏby€former€clients.€€It's€work€in€the€urban€slums€is€nearly€legendary.€€It€includes€"fastÏclimbers"€as€they€are€called€in€Jamii€Bora,€that€is€the€people€who€are€hot€to€trot€intoÏa€program€and€begin€to€reinvent€and€develop€themselves€right€away,€and€startÏmaking€great€progress€from€day€one,€or€soon€after.€€Of€course€the€"slow€climbers"Ïare€the€ones€the€staff€has€to€be€patient€with.€€They€are€moving€on€the€slomo€track,Ïbut€they'll€get€going€and€move€on€up€within€the€program€sooner€or€later.ÌÌThe€Global€Microcredit€Office€in€Washington,€D.C.€had€this€to€say€about€JamiiÏBora:€€"Ingrid€Munro€started€Jamii€Bora€in€1999,€and€today€it€is€the€fastest€growingÏmicrofinance€institution€in€Kenya.€€Munro€is€from€Sweden€and€her€husband€fromÏCanada,€but€they€have€lived€in€Kenya€for€the€past€twenty„one€years.€€She€wasÏformerly€the€head€of€the€African€Housing€Fund,€which€works€with€the€homeless.€ÏMunro€started€with€a€group€of€fifty€beggars€from€the€slums€of€Nairobi,€and€over€theÏpast€seven€years€Jamii€Bora€has€expanded€to€61€branches,€serving€about€a€hundredÏand€thirty€thousand€members;€Munro€aims€to€reach€at€least€five€hundred€thousandÏby€2009.€€She€says€that€she€has€stuck€to€the€original€idea,€'that€you€can€borrow€twiceÏas€much€as€you've€saved„„which€means€we€have€a€very€strong€foundation,€becauseÏwe€have€a€lot€of€savings,€and€our€members€take€very€small€risks.'"ÌÌÌ[1438€words]ÌÌÌÌÌTo€appear€in€Street€Feat€V€10€€#€1€[April,ñ²ñJanuary,ñ²ñ€2007]