Our Holiday Letter about Maria and Her Bread-Making Business

For this blog entry, we wanted to share our holiday letter about Maria and the successes that she has had thanks to the hard work of the PHPG staff, partnerships with other non-profits, and the generosity of folks like you. We hope that you enjoy Isabel's letter.

- Alex

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Hola, PHPG Supporter!

My name is Isabel Tuck, and I am the Executive Director of PHPG. 100% of the work that I do for PHPG is as a volunteer. In fact, all of the work of our entire stateside team (which includes you) – volunteers, board members, donors, and advocates – is done completely from the kindness of the heart so that all of the funds can go directly to the projects.

We do it because we believe in PHPG’s mission to eliminate extreme poverty through 0% interest microloans. More specifically, PHPG provides clients with the tools they need to raise themselves out of poverty. We do not rely on a model of handouts, and over 95% of the people that borrow from us return the funds.

To understand on a personal level how you’ve helped our clients, please read the story below about one of our most successful loan recipients, named Maria de la Concepcion.

Maria, her husband – Orlando – and their three children – Juby, Orlando, and Antonio – live in the small village of Soledad de Cruz, near Matagalpa in Northern Nicaragua. Maria is on her third loan with PHPG. She received her first loan back in 2013 through a collaboration project between PHPG and EOS, an organization specializing in environmental technology and innovation. With a loan from us, Maria’s family purchased an energy-efficient EOS barrel oven, which bakes faster, uses 80% less wood, and produces far fewer toxins.

With her new oven, Maria bakes various cosas de horno, which translates to “things from the oven.” Maria’s cosas de horno are extraordinary, and the members of her community agree, as we came to find out through her successful sales.

With her second, slightly larger loan, Maria bought more pans and bulk ingredients to improve her baking business.

Now with her third loan, she has invested in bulk wood for baking and has hired an individual to help her sell her cosas de horno on the buses that run between the capital and Matagalpa. Thanks to a few loans – ranging from only $125 to $400 – Maria has risen as a leader in her community and proved to be a model borrower.

You are the reason that folks like Maria are able to raise their families out of poverty. Without your support, Maria and others like her would never see their business ideas come alive. Your loans help provide financial stability for entire families that used to have to decide between fixing a leaky roof during rainy season and providing quality food for their family.

A contribution of as $125 provides an individual with the opportunity to start or expand a small business and work towards securing financial stability. PHPG has the goal of raising $13,000 this holiday season. Achieving this goal would allow for over 100 motivated entrepreneurs to start the tough journey out of extreme poverty.

To make a donation to our organization and help clients like Maria achieve their greatest goals, you can go to http://phpgmicrolending.org/donate. PHPG is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so all contributions are tax-deductible.

Please realize that ANY amount that you can give is greatly appreciated and contributes to the overall goal. As a supporter of PHPG, no matter how you contribute, whether it is time, money, encouragement, or advocacy, it lets us know that you believe in the potential of the Marias of the world.

I want to personally thank you for supporting PHPG. It’s always a pleasure to be able to share the joys and successes that you have created in folks like Maria.

To a world free of extreme poverty!

Isabel Tuck

Executive Director, PHPG                                                     

isabel@phpgmicrolending.org

(802) 318-4488                                                          

P.S. – There are many opportunities to hear about how your dollars and hours are impacting the folks of Central America. You can like us on Facebook or reply to this email, and we’ll add you to our newsletter email list.