June 5- A Countyside Outing

Today did more interviews of FODEMI staff and clients, although we were much better prepared yesterday than today. Then we went with an “asesor” (a loan officer) to visit a group of clients applying for a second loan and present FODEMI’s options to their community. This was an indigenous community up in the mountains. We got there by riding in a rickety truck through winding mountain roads. I road standing up in the back, holding on tight. Sometimes, the turns were so sharp that the driver would have to back up and change his angle a few times to make the turn. Also, the road was one lane, so multiple honks are required when coming around a blind curve. All told, I’d rate it pretty high on my list of most exciting drives. The scenery was gorgeous and the driving just precarious enough to keep a little adrenaline going, but not so much as to make one’s life flash before one’s eyes. It’s amazing how these little mountain communities seem to have no one in the, but when someone shows up to talk about lending money people seem to just come out from the woodwork. When we pulled up to this little concrete building there was no one there. I went inside for a few minutes, came back out, and sure enough dozens of villagers were gathered around.

The asesor that we traveled with gave his presentation, telling them how they could form community banks with shared responsibility and receive loans from FODEMI for their microenterprises. People were very excited to hear that they could receive money at relatively low interest (at least in comparison to the “money lenders” that often operate in these parts) and it seemed that some people were thinking of forming a group. We also interviewed a few current clients who professed that the loans they had received made a huge difference in their lives. As one client said, “You get a loan and buy a cow. In ten months, you pay off that loan, and you still have the cow that you didn’t have before.” Microfinance is raising people’s quality of life in this community.