We’re still Lending with CARE®

In March 2022 The Rotary Club of Stockholm International board approved a proposal put forward by the club’s service projects committee for the club to join the Lendwithcare (LWC) micro financing programme run by CARE® International. 

By joining the LWC programme RCSI and other organisations/individuals are able to lend small amounts of money to entrepreneurs and entrepreneur groups in several low-income countries. The entrepreneurs in the LWC programme and their investment plans have been previously vetted and approved by established micro financing institutions in their respective countries. The micro financing institutions in the LWC programme have also been carefully selected by CARE®.

We’ve now been part of the LWC micro financing programme for almost 2 years and we’re still making a difference to the lives of so many entrepreneurs in low income countries. As of November, 2023 we’ve lent a total of 1080 GBP to 35 entrepreneurs in 11 low-income countries (Pakistan, Thailand, Malawi, Zambia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, The Philippines and The Palestinian Territories). The loans RCSI and other lenders have made to these entrepreneurs have helped 50 other entrepreneurs and indirectly 439 family members. They have also helped create 22 new jobs.

Here are some photos of a few of the entrepreneurs we have helped so far.

Entrepreneur Spotlight

Here’s one example of a group of entrepreneurs in Zambia we’ve lent money to.

The Alumbwe 0701 Group in Zambia

RCSI was one of the 34 organisations/individuals that made a micro loan to this group of women. The total amount they requested was GBP 1193 and the repayment term agreed is 6 months.

Rotary Focus Area:- Economic and Community Development

The Alumbwe 0701 group is a lovely group that is based in Monze town comprised of five ladies who are into poultry farming and the selling of second-hand clothing to members of the community. The ladies have an average age of thirty-nine and are excited about getting a loan through Lend with Care because they have a passion to increase their enterprises further. The ladies have 32 dependants in their households which pushes them to work harder.

Click HERE for further details on the Alumbwe 0701 Group Lendwithcare’s local partner Microloan Foundation Zambia.

We’re still Lending with CARE®

In March 2022 The Rotary Club of Stockholm International board approved a proposal put forward by the club’s service projects committee for the club to join the Lendwithcare (LWC) micro financing programme run by CARE® International. 

By joining the LWC programme RCSI and other organisations/individuals are able to lend small amounts of money to entrepreneurs and entrepreneur groups in several low-income countries. The entrepreneurs in the LWC programme and their investment plans have been previously vetted and approved by established micro financing institutions in their respective countries. The micro financing institutions in the LWC programme have also been carefully selected by CARE®.

We’ve now been part of the LWC micro financing programme for 6 months and it’s going really well. We’ve already lent a total of 510 GBP to 16 entrepreneurs in 7 low income countries (Pakistan, Thailand, Malawi, Zambia, Vietnam, Rwanda and The Philippines). The loans RCSI and other lenders have made to these entrepreneurs have helped 28 other entrepreneurs and indirectly 274 family members. They have also helped create 7 new jobs.

The entrepreneurs we have loaned to so far have started repaying us according to agreed up-front repayment installment plans. Already we have received sufficient repayments into our LWC account to allow us to make further loans to other entrepreneurs in the LWC programme. This we will continue to do as the project proceeds.

Here are some photos of the entrepreneurs we have helped so far.

Entrepreneur Spotlight

Here’s one example of an entrepreneur in The Philippines we’ve lent money to.

Madelaine in The Philippines

RCSI was one of the 87 organizations/individuals that made a micro loan to Madelaine. The total amount she requested was GBP 2483 and the repayment term agreed is 12 months.

Rotary Focus Area:- Economic and community development

Madeleine is a 29-year-old woman entrepreneur. She lives with her partner called Jonhilou Monin. They have three children aged 6, 8 and 9 years old. All of them attend the local school found in Cebu province. To earn a daily income the couple have been running a restaurant for more than a year now.

Madeleine and her partner manage a restaurant for over a year now. Their daily income helps them to deal with their daily needs. Their restaurant is found near a mall and commercial buildings. It is open daily from 5 in the morning and closes at 8 in the evening. Her partner is in charge of cooking their daily dish to sell while Madeleine helps in preparing the ingredients. They now employ three female workers who helps in attending their customers’ orders, washing dishes, and cleaning the dining area. Madeleine received and repaid her first loan from Lendwithcare last year. Thanks to the loan, her business has improved, and made changes to their restaurant to have more space to dine inside. She said her daily income is above 10,000 pesos (£149.72).

On 8th of July last year, Madeleine opened her second outlet. With the help of the loan, the couple will continue to work hard to run their businesses and make sure to always implement food safety to ensure the safety of their daily consumers.

Click HERE for further details.

Integration through Entrepreneurship in the suburbs

The Rotary Club of Stockholm International is proud to announce that Deqa Abukar and Adnan Yousuf are the winners of the club’s Ron Pavellas Award for Community Service for 2022.

The recipients are the co-founders of BLING, started in 2014 as a reaction to entrepreneurial segregation and as an attempt to drive positive societal change while counteracting exclusion through good leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation.  BLING, based in Kista, offers free business and innovation consulting, seminars IT support workshops and more for those who want to start, run and develop companies or ideas. BLING trains leaders who in turn train new leaders. The initaitve has become an integral part of the professional mentoring program of the Rotary district 2350.

Following BLING’s success, Deqa and Adnan have gone on to create new initiatives to extend BLING’s effectiveness and its penetration to those in need.

Womenisa, established in 2018, is a women’s network within BLING focused on networking, creating role models and supporting further development for women.

Bridge is a physical place to support entrepreneurs to meet and interact in Kista Galleria and soon to open in Gottsunda Centrum, Uppsala.

Shift is a start-up training and investment program giving personal coaching to entrepreneurs in the lead up to venture capital pitches.

För-orten is a competition where business proposals are submitted and reviewed. The best ideas compete for an SEK 500 000 award.

BLING and its associated initiatives have become an important movement in the northern suburbs of Stockholm in support of integration and entrepreneurship. Our club is pleased to recognize the role of its founders and to support them in their ongoing efforts.

The Ron Pavellas Award for Community Service was established by the Rotary Club of Stockholm International in honour of its founder to support Rotary’s vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, across the global, in our communities and within ourselves. The award recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to the betterment of their community and promoted integration of newcomers to Sweden.