International Development Week - Feb 5 - 11, 2012

I just finished reading John Stackhouse's book "Out of Poverty and into something more comfortable". An interesting read to be sure which highlighted the many issues and challenges with international development and the quest to effect change in developing countries. I could certainly relate to many of the situations he described in the rural villages he visited in Africa, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. It is not simply a matter of sending funds and physical resources to help move people from poverty to prosperity. If one doesn't already possess patience, one will certainly learn it when dealing with the developing world. We can't come with our western preconceptions about how development will take place. We may go and see the problem and know an easy solution but it takes time to learn the local history, tribal ways and other cultural issues that can hinder development like witchcraft, village politics and people's jealousies.


However that being said, there are great joys in seeing positive change take place and one must never let despair or dissolutionment get one down. During our 6 years of working with The Ronnie Fund in Wongonyi Village, Ronnie has often felt discouraged when things do not go as planned or fellow villagers try to derail a project but a positive outlook and continued education can turn a project around.



The focus for 2012 International Development Week is Empowerment for Women and Girls and Sustainable Economic Growth. We know that women are the lifeblood of all economies worldwide - they are the ones who keep the families going. In the developing world it is women who work tirelessly to provide food, clothing and school fees for their children and it is women who are left to look after families when their husbands desert them after learning their partner has HIV/Aids (most often given to them by the husbands). These women, often considered widows, are left to fend for themselves often suffering abuse from their families by shunning and rape for those living in slum conditions. Recently we were given a special gift from Bracebridge United Church which allowed us to provide doors, windows and iron sheets for roofing for a church in Wongonyi that is building homes for widows. Kinandi, a mother who lives and supports two adult daughters and 4 grandchildren living in a one room windowless mud hut, cried with joy when she heard she was to be the recipient of new roofing. She has invited me to sleep at her new home on my next visit to Wongonyi Village. I am constantly amazed by the resiliency of these women. They seem to have an inner strength that I'm not sure I could possess. They continue day by day to provide what they can for their families.

Constance, one of our secondary school graduates is now taking computer courses while waiting for her acceptance into university.


For girls, it can be just as difficult as they are often the last to be supported by the families for secondary school education. If a family can't afford their fees, they will send them out to work or marry them off at a young age keeping them in a perpetual cycle of poverty. We are doing our best to keep girls in school for we know that education is the only way to break out of poverty. Our Sere Girls Club is providing an opportunity for 30 girls in Wongonyi Village, Kenya to meet for educational, spiritual and emotional guidance along with a mentoring program and training in leadership skills. We have seen girls blossom under this program.

Some of the women of Jitolee Crafts group - empowering women who advocate about HIV/Aids


Finally sustainable economic growth is the key to improving women's lives and that of their families. Through our Microfinance program we have been able to provide small loans to women to help them expand their businesses. This has provided them with increased income to supply their families with the basic necessities of life. A key component of our Microfinance program is training in business skills so they can continue to expand and improve their businesses. We also support women's groups like Jitolee Crafts, a group of 15 HIV positive women living in Kiberia Slums of Nairobi. Because of their HIV status they are unable to get jobs and so have banded together to help each other and themselves. After making beaded crafts and clothing, they visit markets to sell their wares. At the same time, they educate the public about HIV/Aids and the empowerment of women to take charge of their own lives.

During International Development Week 2012 we salute and celebrate the wonderful women of the developing world for the optimism and their quest for a better quality of life.

Microfinance - Small Loans, Big Impact

"Winnie - one of our microfinance recipients was able to expand her village shop."

Sometimes it is hard to imagine how a little financial boost can have such a huge impact. Microfinance is the term for small loans to business people who otherwise would not qualify for funding. In our village of Wongonyi, Kenya the local bank had few funds available for loaning out to those who wanted help to improve their businesses. So The Ronnie Fund started a Microfinance Program.

Through the generosity of a donor with an interest in Microfinance, we launched our program with six recipients. A year later we are pleased to report that the original six have repaid their loans and we recently provided another 12 participants with funding for their business projects which include a poultry business, grocery and cereal shops, goats, dairy farm, barber, tree nursery, carpentry, agricultural inputs, butcher shop, agrovet store, sewing and farming.
Ronnie meets with potential participants to determine their eligibility and assess their business plan. Once selected the participant signs documentation agreeing to a repayment plan. Ronnie also arranges for training in business skills so that we achieve a 100% success rate in repayment. This training also assures that our participants have the needed business knowledge to ensure a successful and expanding business.

For many of the people in our remote rural village, Microfinance has been just the impetus they have needed to move forward in their lives creating much needed income so they can support their families with food, clothing and school fees. We have found that our Microfinance Program is the perfect tool for helping to move people from poverty to prosperity. It truly is a testament to the fact that a small amount of money can have a tremendous impact in changing lives.