The Three Amigos Solve World Poverty

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having lunch with about 30 or so people at The Locker Room and hearing Peter Greer speak.  He's the president of the microfinance non-profit HOPE International, and author of the book "The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty."

There is one thing especially that Peter said that really hit home with me about their approach to ending poverty, and I think he stole it from Steve Martin and this scene from "The Three Amigos":

The residents of the town then use their great talent, sewing, to
battle El Guapo ('he's so famous he INfamous!'). Not to spoil the ending for you (the movie is like 25 years old, so its your own fault if you haven't seen it by now), but the town quickly sews several of the Amigos' outfits. The people put them on and run around, confusing El Guapo and his men when they attack the town, making them think the three Amigos are everywhere. Rather than focusing on what they didn't have (soldiers, weapons, comedic timing), they focused on what they did, and saved their town.

So I'm thinking that Peter Greer, in his brilliance (he did get his degree from Harvard, after all), borrowed this idea from 'Lucky Day' in deciding what question to ask when they go to a new project area in India or Uganda or Peru. 

They do not ask, "What do you need?". 

They ask, "What can you do?" 

By focusing on what the people can already do, and do well, and by supporting that with small business loans, those people are able to then build businesses, build self-sustaining communities, and pay back the money borrowed, which is then lent to others, repeating the process.

To drive this point home, Rhona, a Vanderbilt grad student (Taylor Univ. undergrad), who had interned for HOPE International, was asked to share her story- which was really the story of her mother.  Her mother was one of eleven children from a family in Uganda (eventually, 8 of her 10 siblings would die from HIV/AIDS).  She was rare, in that she was a girl who not only was able to get elementary education, but went on to get some secondary (high school) education as well. She married and had five children, including our future Vandy/Taylor student.  Finding herself in an abusive marriage, she moved herself and her children out, and attempted to support them.  A local Catholic church let her borrow some money to start her own business, and she was able to send her children to boarding school. Boarding schools there are cheaper, and since she was constantly working to support the family as a single mother, she literally didn't have time to take the kids to school or pick them up.  As I'd mentioned before, 8 of her 10 siblings died of AIDS, leaving behind several children.  As the most educated and one of the few living siblings, she took her brothers' and sisters' children in as well. She earned enough money through her businesses- a small coffee plantation, a hair salon, and raising goats, among others- to send her nieces and nephews to boarding school as well.  During school breaks, they had as many as 30 students back at her house.

We'll fast forward some years and get back to our Vandy/Taylor student, Rhona.  After saving for four years, her mother was able to purchase a plane ticket and come and see her daughter graduate from Taylor University.  After the ceremony, her mother came up to her and with tears in her eyes said, "You are my 11th degree."  Her mother counted her children and nieces and nephews who graduated from school as her degrees. Through her intelligence, entrepreneurship, faith, sacrifice, and a steadfast belief in the importance of education, Rhona's mother was able to change the lives of so many in her family and community.  (The area where Hope International is working has seen a rise in children attending school from 26% in 1985 to 71% today- amazing!)

At the back of this story is the little loan Rhona's mom received from the Catholic church.  Someone like you donated some money, that someone at the church loaned to her, and Rhona's mom was able to combine that with what she did really well.  And that's the beauty of microfinance- instead of handouts, you help others do what they already do well and change their lives.

It begs the question- What would have happened without that loan?  What if that person who donated the money to the church, hadn't?  Would Rhona's mom have gotten her '11 degrees'?  It makes me wonder.  I wonder if in my own life, if things would have been different had a couple not helped out a single mom by helping send her four kids (myself included) to a Christian school.  Would I be different today?

I realize this is jumping from a serious subject to something silly, but for me at least, putting a face (even El Guapo's) on a problem helps me fight it.  These people in poverty have intelligence and work ethic, but they lack capital. By taking what people do well and giving them the opportunity to put it to use, they can conquer their own "El Guapo" - poverty.