In a world where almost half the population lives on less than $2 a day, finding money to start a small business enterprise is almost impossible. But Five Talents is helping to reduce poverty in developing countries by investing in poor entrepreneurs through small loans, business training and mentoring.
Over the years, area golfers have raised thousands of dollars to help fund Five Talents' holistic microcredit programs that touch women like Hotmian, an entrepreneur based just outside of Jakarta, Indonesia, where she runs a shop and a small catering business.
Here are four ways that you can participate in this year's Golf Classic:
As a small organization taking on a big problem – poverty – we rely not on a huge marketing department (there's only one of us), but on people like you who have a heart for the poor.
Why through Facebook? Every time someone makes even a small donation to Five Talents on Facebook, their action is noted on their wall and on their friends' news feeds. When your mom or classmate or neighbor sees that you have just given $5 to Five Talents, he or she might say, "Hmm... what is Five Talents?" and then click over to our Facebook page.
Or this person might say, "Oh, how nice, I think I'll give $5 to their cause, too."
Look carefully, and you will see the owner of this grocery stall in Bekasi, Indonesia. Hotmian, a mother of three, purchased the micro-business from her sister after her own building materials business went bankrupt in 2009. Grocery stalls like this one face fierce competition in urban settings, so enterprising owners must find ways to make their businesses stand out. Hotmian has done this is by selling homemade fried noodles, along with snack foods, rice, eggs, sugars, flours, shampoos, soaps and cigarettes. She also offers catering services for clients who want specialty dishes from North Sumatra, another province in Indonesia.
One of the key verses reads that the master gave talents to his servants "...each according to his ability." This phrase – "each according to his ability" – contains a liberating message for the poor, and also for ourselves. This Gospel reading suggests that we are made in the image of God and, therefore, all of us have value and gifts to use for ourselves, our families and our communities.
Five Talents is built on this belief. The poor have value and can be empowered to tap their own unique gifts and abilities to create a better life. When Five Talents began 11 years ago, words like sustainability, economic empowerment, and self-supporting churches were just beginning to be whispered. Now these words are being shouted from every corner of the world.
I dare say Five Talents has helped to lead that conversation as a means of growing God's Kingdom.
Ibu faced a seemingly impossible situation: She was in need of capital for her pastry business in Jakarta, Indonesia. Without extra capital, she would not be able to grow her business. And without a growing business, she would struggle to pay for schooling for her two boys.
Around the time of this crisis, Ibu faced another challenge: After three years of marriage, her husband converted to Islam, the dominant religion in Indonesia. The couple's two boys converted along with him, leaving Ibu to navigate life in the home as an outsider.
Fortunately, she found the help she needed. She joined a savings group with Five Talents partner GERHATI in Jakarta and was offered a small loan that gave her business the boost it needed. She's now in her second loan cycle with the group and is repaying a loan of about $82. Her business is making a profit, which she is using both to pay off her loan and to create a capital reserve.
Three years ago, it was an answer to prayer that led Ginna Vickory to the St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church Prayer Shawl Guild in Portland, Ore. Now, it’s the gift of prayer that has led her to merge this ministry with the work of Five Talents.
In a world where almost half the population lives on less than $2 a day, finding money to start a small business enterprise is almost impossible. But Five Talents is helping to reduce poverty in developing countries by investing in poor entrepreneurs through small loans, business training and mentoring.
As a small organization taking on a big problem – poverty – we rely not on a huge marketing department (there's only one of us), but on people like you who have a heart for the poor.
Ibu faced a seemingly impossible situation: She was in need of capital for her pastry business in Jakarta, Indonesia. Without extra capital, she would not be able to grow her business. And without a growing business, she would struggle to pay for schooling for her two boys.
