PEER Servants' vision is to enable tens of thousands of the materially poor and non-poor to experience economic, social, and spiritual transformation. We are a group of primarily volunteers who partner with indigenous, autonomous microfinance institutions in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. These institutions empower the materially poor through micro-enterprise development wherein small businesses are established that can provide for individuals, families, churches, and communities. Our microfinance partners and the micro-entrepreneurs they serve are used by God to add meaning and fulfillment to our own lives. The transformation we seek is not only for them, but for us as well.
Walk for Economic Empowerment: Our 2011 Walk for Economic Empowerment led to hundreds of people walking in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Charleston, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Costa Rica to empower the materially poor! Together they raised approximately $35,000 -- 100% of which will go as grants to the microfinance partners of PEER Servants as they serve their materially poor clients. You can be a part of the fun in 2012 by participating in an existing Walk or hosting your own with a few friends or family. Check back here in the coming weeks for additional details on our 2012 Walks.
2011 Lydia Award Recipient: Congratulations to Florence Achia, a secondhand clothing retailer from Northern Uganda, and recipient of PEER Servants' 2011 Lydia Award. Florence has overcome huge obstacles to establish her own successful business that is not only providing for her own family, but creating employment for others and allowing her to be a blessing to others. How did she do it? Prayer and action. "Prayer makes work easier and more successful," notes Florence. "We as a family pray for the business every day." God answered her prayer in part by giving her access to CAFECC, a Ugandan Christian microfinance institution, and PEER Servants' partner. Click here to read more of her story and the stories of the other Lydia Award semifinalists.
Partner News - CCT/Philippines: Meet Beth Venegas, a member of the impressive management team of The Center for Community Transformation (CCT), PEER Servants' microfinance partner in the Philippines. CCT serves over 130,000 materially poor clients in 135 branches around the country. They offer a very comprehensive set of products and services that extend God's Kingdom in both word and deed. PEER Servants is partnering with CCT in a number of areas, including supporting their initiative to transition their microfinance branches into community centers that will complement their microfinance services with vocational training, pre-school education, health clinics, and even church plants. We consider it quite a privilege to partner with an organization so committed to extending God's Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.
Volunteer of the Month: Elie Lafortune is originally from Haiti and, as such, is representative of over 1/3 of PEER Servants volunteers who are originally from the regions in which we partner. He brings fantastic qualifications in academia (MBA from a top business school and Masters from Harvard's Kennedy School) and work experience (former World Relief Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo). He focuses within PEER Servants in serving ACLAM, our Haitian microfinance partner, as they develop a five-year strategic plan to become one of the leading Haitian Christian MFIs and expand their transformative impact beyond the 5,000+ clients they currently serve. Elie's strong love for Jesus, his humor, and his humility make him one of PEER Servants' biggest assets within our volunteer team.
