The Gemach Project

An Interest Free Micro-Loan Program

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Share the Joy.

July 27, 2011 No comments

Following is a message from Jean Dofere Ndour who lives in Diofe, Senegal.  Jean received a $45 micro-loan last November from The Gemache Project.

“With 20,100F, I have a business of rice and oil.  God blessed my business.  Because today, I have 200,0000F worth of goods in my shop.  To only God the Glory!”

“Then the servant who had been given two bags of gold came to the master and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of gold to care for, I used your two bags to earn two more.’  The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and loyal servant.  Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things.  Come and share my joy with me.”            Matthew 25: 22-23.

 

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A Tale of Two Villages

July 21, 2011 No comments

Bankin after the tornado. Bankin, Burkina Faso

The worst of times brings out the best of times.

The Gemach Project made loans to a village called Bankin in central Burkina Faso.  Most of their investments were made in livestock.  Things proceeded as expected for the first year and they were on schedule paying back on their loans. Bankin was on the road out of poverty when a tornado struck their village.

Shoal Creek Valley after the tornado

The tornado destroyed or damaged many of their homes and threatened their businesses.The Gemach Project decided to give back what they had paid on their loans to help them rebuild.  The Gemach Project believes that the success of their businesses and their escape from poverty is more important than the rate of loan payments. Bankin has since recovered and once again they are tending their business investments and are making payments on their loans.

Shoal Creek Valley, Alabama

In 2011 a series of tornadoes devastated parts of Alabama including a residential area near Pell City, Alabama called Shoal Creek Road.

Some of the board members of The Gemach Project decided to go to Pell City to help with the recovery.

When the residents of Bankin heard what had happened they sold some of their animals to raise money to give to the people of Shoal Creek to help them do what The Gemach Project had helped them do.

Some may think of this as African Aid to the United States.  We like to think of it as Christians the world over reaching out to those in need.

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Prayers for our people in Senegal

June 28, 2011 No comments

In January of this year we instituted Gemach loans in Senegal.  Senegal forbids any organization from making micro-loans if they charge any interest.  To our knowledge we are the only Christian organizations making loans in Senegal since we are the only one not charging interest.

We made loans through Pastor Abel Ouedrago in Dakar.  Through his help we made lons in Tadiaye, Fatik and Pikine.  These loans have been very successful as many have doubled their incomes in only six months.  A few have increased their assests by 10 fold.  This while making the payments on their loans.

I just learned from Pastor Abel that in Dakar, which is a city of several million, they now have two hours of electricity a day.  Unrest is increasing and the local Muslims are using this as an excuse to burn evangelical churches.  Between Sunday and Monday four churches were attacked  and two were burned to the ground.

Please pray for Pastor Abel, for his churches and for the Christians in Senegal.

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Kahindo Thasi Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

June 22, 2011 No comments

Kahindo Tasi“The help we received from The Gemach Project through the loan is so great!  I was not easily able to have food for my children or to meet other needs.  But since we have had the help  from the loan we now have food everyday and have a small amount of money for other needs.”

“My business is to buy onions in Butembo at a low price and then drive to Kisangani and resell them where the price is higher.  I have  good benefit in the dry season as the road is good for traveling, but when it rains the roads become impassable and the onions may spoil.  In general the business is not so bad.   God continues to help us and we now have no problem buying food or other small needs.”

“I am also able sometimes to buy a special diet for my daughter who has diabetes.  Before it was a very big problem to care for her and I was afraid for her life and future.  I remember one day when she was in the hospital crying during the night.  The doctor said that she would need a special diet.  My daughter asked me how I would be able to buy special food for her.  She thought that she would not be cured.”

“The compassion of the people who are willing to help others in need is a great action that gives new strength and new hope in our lives.”

“May God bless all of the staff of The Gemach Project and all who are supporting their activities.”

Kahindo was given a $100 loan in January of this year.  She has already paid back 25% of that loan and has been able to put some money into savings.  Thanks to all who are supporting the efforts of The Gemach Project -  It works.

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Forefront Church and Banigbe, Benin

June 19, 2011 No comments

Last year members of Forefront Church in Lakewood Colorado along with members of Grace Chapel in Centennial Colorado and a board member of The Gemach Project went to Banigbe Benin.  Banigbe was a very poor village dedicated to the worship of idols.  While there a medical clinic was conducted and a new church was established in the village.  The church is flourishing but the people are still very poor.

Forefront church has approached The Gemach Project and would like to work with them to provide loans to the poor people of Banigbe to help lift them out of their extreme poverty.  We have agreed to join with them in this project.  Anyone interested in hearing more about this village or this project is invited  to join us this Thursday evening (June 23) at 7PM to learn more.  It will be at 11268 N Canary Ln in Parker Colorado at 7PM.  See you there.

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Faipe Kasoki

March 29, 2011 No comments

Faipe Kasoki

Faipe is a widow.  She is 95 years old and lives off of the little that the local church can give her.  She has no other source of income.  She is not alone.  In the village of Malendi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo there are thirty widows living in this single small village.  They have no hope of finding jobs nor is there any hope of a better life.

They are not all old.  Many, such as Mbavugha Kahindo who is only 46 and widowed, have children to raise.  Mbavugha has four children to try to care for.  Those that are young still have children to raise and many of those that are elderly are not physically fit to do work even if they could find it.

Mbavugha Kahindo

It seemed like there was no hope for these widows until God sent The Gemach Project to Butembo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last November.  Malendi is a short drive from Butembo and we went there and visited with the widows.  Young or old they had one thing in common, they needed help.

The Gemach Project has teamed up with the local church to help these thirty widows and their children.  The church has donated land to the widows where they are building chicken coops so that they call sell eggs.   Once the coops are completed The Gemach Project has agreed to give these group of widows a large interest free loan that they will all be responsible for.  We have pledged $1,000 so that they can buy chickens, feed, cartons and any other supplies they need so that they can start a group business and change their lives forever.

The widows of Malendi


We ask for your help.  For a donation of only $35 you can change a life.  You can change that life forever.  Not buy them food for a month or send a child to school for a month but change their lives.  They will be able to start a business and generate an income from now on.  They will be able to take care of themselves and not depend on anyone for handouts.  Help them to restore their dignity, to put food on their table and to take care of their children.  Click on the donate tab on our homepage and give.  Give not only to the widows of Malendi but to the widows, orphans and poor that we are helping in six countries.  They don’t need handouts they need a chance.

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Gemach Representative in Danger, Prayers Needed

March 22, 2011 1 comment

I received this e-mail from Ortiz this morning. Ortiz is a Christian man whom I met at a pastor’s conference in Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was immediately taken by his friendliness and devotion to God. He is not a pastor but he attended the conference because of his desire to help those in need. He quickly became the obvious choice to help us administer the Gemach Project in Butembo. He has provided business training and guidance for those we have given loans to. His assistance has been invaluable to The Gemach Project. We have reached out to others in Butembo to help with The Gemach Project and have assured him that he could not of done a better job for us than what he has already done. As you will see in his email Ortiz is currently in hiding from bandits that have come to his house several times looking for him.  We have asked him to concentrate on the safety of his family and himself at this time. We do not know if his administering our loans and distributing Gemach funds to the poor has made him a target or if there are other reasons. We ask for your prayers for him and his family so that he can live in safety.  I have also included a photos of a few of the widows that we are trying to help in Malendi and a photo of Ortiz.  (Ortiz refers to me as Daddy as I am old enough to be his father.)  This area of the DRC has seen a lot of violence and I am sure that the danger is genuine.  The orphanage that we are helping in Butembo was founded because the business man that it was named after was killed by seven bandits that came into his business in the middle of the day and shot him.  Please pray for Ortiz.

You will notice that Ortiz addressed the needs of others and the progress of The Gemach Project in his e-mail before he mentioned the danger to him and his family.  A reflection of the kind of man that he is.

Hallo Daddy.

I’m so pleased to write to you this time to make you know that the loans for the Bible school are going well, and the pastors has chosen several activities, some are selling fishes, some are selling second hand cloves (clothes), some again have made a breeding of pigs…  so they are happy and hopeful. As you know, the beginning is difficult. Some of them didn’t even know what t do with the money and they are waiting for me to tell them what king of business they can take. So the GEMACH PROJECT has become an additional burden to me as you can notice.  I pray God to give me strength because I have to advise each of them individually and frequently.

By the way, we have taken with Bishop Nzeghesi a proposal,   according to the widow project. We have find that there is a big need of eggs in the area, so the widow will produce eggs by breeding chicken. So I asked them to contribute to the project by building a shed were chicken could live, they are doing it now. So if you can support them with the 1000 dollars of loan it could be a wonderful achievement.

For my self, I need your moral support because at the moment I’m sending you this e-mail I’m not home because I fear for my life. A group of bandits has reached home for more than 3 times this month and wanted to kill me. I don’t know what is the mater yet, but I’m steel hide my self at 50 km. so kip on praying for me Daddy.

I apologise for may English again.

Have a good time

ORTIZ MUKOTSI

ACACIA CHAIREMAN

Pictures, Projects none

Why did the chicken cross the road?

March 20, 2011 No comments

Probably to get away from this guy. The Denver Nuggets have Chris, “The Birdman”, Anderson and Ogadougou, Niger has their own version of “The Birdman”.  The real kicker – all those chickens are alive.

Kind of gives new meaning to the phrase hen-pecked.

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Why Interest Free Micro Loans?

March 16, 2011 No comments

Large scale aid can do amazing things during crisis but what has 50 years and more than 2 trillion dollars accomplished so far in lifting people and countries out of poverty?

Why does The Gemach Project only give interest free, no fee micro loans?  You can read our “How it Works” or “About Us” page and get an understanding of what we believe and why, but we came across a great video that really expresses why from Poverty Cure.  Although creating locally owned and locally run businesses may seem slower to economic growth it builds from within the area and creates local jobs.

The video is well worth the 7:28 minutes.  What do you think, does global aid create dependencies and delay the development of business?

-Perry

Other, Video none

Gemach Project Update from Benin -Pastor Josue

March 12, 2011 No comments

The Gemach Project has given out 50 micro loans to people in Benin.  Pastor Josue has developed a complete program around the loans so that the people receiving the loans also get a mosquito net, some business education and are taught about health care issues.  Below is an excerpt from Pastor Josue’s newsletter.

-Perry

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MICRO LOANS PROGRAM “GEMACH PROJECT”
Praise God the first year of interest free loans program called Gemach Project. We were so bless to get in touch with Calvin and his team who were a response of many years of prayers for our population. After the first year of the program I’m please to announce that we had 100% of reimbursement of loans. 50 loans were giving (minimum $100 and maximum $250)
about

We gave 50 loans to 50 people but about 407(259 people, 134 infants and 14 orphans) people have benefited from those loans and the program have impacted more than that. Goods and Services were made available for the community within the community by its own people.

14 orphans were able to be taking care of. Good meals, medical care and schooling were provided by their tutors who get loans. 134 children were able to have at least two meals per day, and 259 people living conditions have been somehow improved. Those who were living on less than a dollar a day can now eat and treat themselves medically whenever the need arise. Children have been able to be send to school and young adult kids were sent to apprenticeship to learn a job and get skills. Those are just some of the visible benefits loans beneficiaries and their close family members get. But more than that have been accomplished.
47 women and 148 children get out of the ravage of malaria and other food, waterborne or hygiene diseases. 31 mosquito nets were given as part of loans.

Those loans were giving back to the same people because of they need to upgrade their capital. Our objective is to have sustainable business. But we need to get more funds to make loans available to those who are in need. About 500 people are still waiting to get loans.

Please joint us in prayer for the beneficiaries that:

  • their business may be successful;
  • they may apply management and godly character principles they learn during training;
  • the Lord may provide for customers;
  • for their community to be transformed for the Glory of the Lord.
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