In 2012 I began a blog called “One Thought Away” for the purpose of raising money for a non-profit
project in Haiti as well as inspiring other people to pursue their dreams. The
premise was simple: great things we hope for and wish to do are often one
thought, or a series of continual thoughts over time, away from happening. I
always saw these thoughts as sparks that could create a roaring fire of change.
It has been on my heart recently to rekindle this experience in a way that can
be sustained and achieve a larger impact with a broader reach.
You may know I have had an
interest in micro-finance and developing impoverished countries based on my
past volunteer, education and travel experience. In particular I had the chance
during my MBA program to study microfinance in Nicaragua and business development
in Cambodia as well as seeing poverty up close and personal while on
humanitarian trips to Haiti and Mexico. This baseline knowledge and my core
belief that Jesus calls us to serve our fellow man compels me to stoke this
passion with a broader audience.
Zidisha (Swahili for “growth”,
or “expand”) is a micro-lending platform focused on cutting high “middle-man”
costs and promoting transparency on where funds are distributed (learn about
their approach in the info links below). My vision is to combine the concept of
my “One Thought Away” blog with the Zidisha lending platform to provide 24,901
loans during my lifetime (one loan per each mile of the earth’s circumference
symbolizing how the world is all connected and the common ground we share). I
believe in this process because it connects the heart of service (Zidisha
serves some of the poorest areas in the world) with the effectiveness of
capitalism; lenders (i.e. you) decide who to loan to based on borrowers
business ideas, adjust loan rates for riskier loans and can ask borrowers
questions before investing. This is not a hand out, this is a hand up.
Micro-lending in its ideal form is centered on empowering individuals and small
groups to profit from their ideas and hard work as they develop accountability
through the fact they are required to pay back the loan(s) they receive.
Sound interesting? Then keep
reading!
I need you to do seven things.
1.
Read
this entire note (good job, you’re almost done with step 1! J)
3.
Sign
up for Zidisha and join my giving group (One Thought Away Investing)…IMPORTANT to do this before step 4
a. FYI: Signing up via Facebook is
simple and allows you to spread the word easily
4. Make one loan of any amount you feel
appropriate (even a $1 loan can create the spark for others to give)
5. Tell one person about this group
within one year
6. Re-loan the amount that was paid back
to you (borrowers re-pay the loans over time)
7.
Get excited
I will keep in-touch with this
community of lenders (i.e. you) with monthly posts on the “One Thought Away” blog so
the fire we are starting does not die out.
Are you with me?
God Bless,
Miles
***Need more info like I did? Explore these links and feel free to ping
me with questions***
‘What is Zidisha?’video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwvkbXCgU7g
'Why Zidisha?'- https://www.zidisha.org/why-zidisha
'How it Works'- https://www.zidisha.org/how-it-works
