Micro-enterprise Development. A start with a super team!

The aim was to establish a committee, with an administrator, to manage a project. The project being to lend money to the poorest of the poor in the neighbourhood so that they could set up a successful business.

All those who attended had been personally selected by the NEEDEP director, Samuel Kargbo, and numbered eight. Those of us doing the training, Linden Boothby, Andy Meek and myself, were rapidly impressed by the quality of these people. The Administrator, a key role requiring vision, local knowledge, business acumen, transparency and a caring heart, was to be Albert Lebbie, who has an accountancy background.

Albert, a great guy who will do a fantastic job, was also given the name Barnabas "son of encouragement" at his baptism. He is now known by both names which initially caused me some confusion!

The group is looking forward to the day's training. They represented a good cross-section of  local society and included ladies working at dress-making, keeping a shop and a petty trader. A Refrigeration engineer with the splendid Mende names Umaru Bavoray Gamanga is in the back row on the right. We have something in common for I am very proud to have been given a Mende name years ago by Christian Kallon, Senior Pastor of the Christians in Action Churches, It is "Munda" means "our own".  On the left of the photo is Ansumana O. Koroma who serves on the Freetown City Council.

Linden Boothby started us off by explaining aims of the training and the model that is used by her organisation, Links International. She is sitting in front of this chart by Andy Meek, who was in his element as he systematically went through the aims, the problems and the details of setting up the constitution and the day to day management of the organisation.

Andy Meek with the group on our last day together.

The Constitution sets out that the team will give loans to the poorest of the poor. People at this level are lacking basic human needs such as clean and fresh water, healthy nutrition, healthcare, education and decent clothing. Their income is $2 a day or less, £1.25 in Sterling. According to the UN Human Development Report for 2009, 70% in Sierra Leone are living below this figure and 53% are trying to live on less than $1.25 (76p) per day. They cannot even feed their children on this amount.

I taught on the biblical basis for work and its importance in the Kingdom of God, and also on the role of the Administrator who has a crucial job in holding the enterprise together and moving it forward. He interviews those seeking loans, helps those with a viable business proposal to fill out the forms, discusses their cases with the management committee, who have the final say, and gives advice and support to those who have been successful. He carries the vision and provides appropriate training to the committee and all new applicants. He collects and records repayments. He reports to the New Era Board and also to myself in the UK, as I liaise with the Sponsors.  No interest is paid on the loan, but an extra 10% of the loan amount is paid for the administrators expenses.

Albert starts work on the Constitution.

Two groups were formed to work out and present a business plan to each other. The second group then decided whether or not they would lend money on this presentation. In the photo one group is outside working on their plan.  One group wanted to set up a stall trading at the side of the road. It got its money. The second group wanted to expand their bakery business. They already had a commercial oven. They were turned down on the grounds that they were not the poorest of the poor!

I will leave you with a plan showing the types of businesses that might be viable in the community.

We are moving forward with confidence and hope - and I have three weeks left to find £1000 of seed capital which will fund 5 new businesses!