Community Banking
Microloan Program
While developed nations have access to fair rate business loans, the poor in Cambodia do not have this advantage. JWOC has created a micro-finance program to give the poor the ability to borrow money at fair interest rates so they can start a business or expand an existing one.
By offering lower rates, JWOC hopes that borrowers will be able to build a stronger business and be able to better their lives. Small loans, sometimes as little as $100, in the hands of an ambitious entrepreneur can transform the lives of individuals and families.
Give as you go: If you donate a microloan, Brandon Ross will take you on a project tour to see examples of microloan recipients.
Price: $100 and up
Village Venture Fund
Give as you go: If you can donate to the Village Venture Fund we will take you to meet the Cambodian entrepreneur benefiting from your generosity. See their home, discuss their business plan and work with them on what their next steps are. This is a great opportunity for those with business backgrounds to put their experience to good use…consultant for a day!!
Price: $500 and up
Some Words from a Guest
“The most humbling event was still to come. We meet a single mother of four boys whose husband had died after a long illness. She made her living selling drinks at a local hospital and had about $2 at the end of the day to feed her children. All she wanted was a bigger ice chest so she could sell more drinks. This day, we would have the immense pleasure of financing a micro-loan that would allow her to do this.
“...This woman cried when she was told she would get her loan. As we walked and she answered our many questions, I asked her if she wanted to ask me anything. What she asked me was profound and I knew then that no matter what circumstances we live in some things are the same. She proceeded to tell me that she gets up early to go and sell her drinks, her oldest son is to go to school in the afternoon but he does not do so. She wanted to know how she could get him to get up and go to school.
“I thought back to the days when I experienced the same situation with my own children. I did not know this woman, I have so much more than she does, but in some ways, we are the same. This woman taught me much that day, thanks to Journeys Within.”
— Dianne Geddes