Hannah's Belize Blog 2010

I have never heard of Yunus until I talked to my friend about the class and I think this is an amazing idea. There are so many people in the world that want to help the poor but don't know how. There are a ton of people that do not think they will make a difference so they do not try. This is a bold idea that allowed many people to get involved to make a difference and his thoughts have traveled throughout the world. What I love about it is he did not give up and now there are people across the world getting help. I have helped a lot of people through mission trips and this has opened my eyes to other ways of lending a hand. I think this is a better way of helping because they become more responsible, while in mission work you are doing everything for them when they could probably do it better and faster. I believe that you have to work and learn for what you get. Yes, there are always things given to you for free, but personally I feel better when I have earned it. The bad thing about this was that there is a lot of time and money spent to educate their clients. Many of these poor people have never held money in their lives, especially the women. They have to learn the concept of loans and what to spend it on. Most families in Belize put there family members or children first; whether it is for food or health. That is why it is important for Grameen Bank to emphasize the importance of speding the loan on their business instead of their family. The beauty of this process is that they get very small loans, and when they put money towards their business they thrive and make their business stronger so they will have more money in the end, which will allow them to pay off the loan.
What I wish they would do in Belize, as other places, is reach towards the poorest of the poor along with those that are on the verge of poverty. Everyone needs a little help.