Blog 5

I think that micro-lending could work in certain parts of the US. I see it working well in rural areas where small businesses are more likely to make a profit than in urban areas. I think the welfare system needs to be revamped in order make micro-lending successful. People rely on welfare sometimes rather than trying to better their life through other opportunities. This is certainly not the case for every person on welfare and many truly do need what the system provides but others are abusing the system. In Banker to the Poor it talks about how some micro-credit programs have worked, mostly in rural area like Indian reservations. While in the urban city it has been harder to get a reliable program started. In Louisville specifically, I don’t think micro-lending would work because we live in a big city and rely on bigger organizations for most of our goods because its cheaper. Started a small business would be difficult and costly depending on the area in which the business is located. Yes, the poor in Louisville deserve a chance to better their lives, but at this time I am not sure exactly what type of program would work here. I think the persona of people and the willingness to try to better their own lives was much higher in Belize. People we met just seemed more devoted to what they were doing and worked hard to get what they have. In the US, its hard to find people with that type of attitude. Most just want to take the easiest way out and not work to get what they actually need.

Blog 4

In Belize, the health of everyone is somewhat in jeopardy. They have an unclean water supply, meat is not the healthiest it could be, and the living conditions provide entry way to multiple bugs and bacteria. When working on the grocery store I observed the women cooking. They didn't wash their hands before touching the food and the refrigerator in the grocery was unplugged for pretty much the whole day while we worked, letting all the food in there spoil and I saw them pulling dough out to make tortilla before we left. This unclean preparation of food leads to the spread of bacteria and diseases. When talking to Dr. Kane and Dr. Cooper about the healthcare system and hearing that the only ICU in the country was in Belize City was shocking, considering pretty much every hospital here has an ICU. The living conditions at some of the client’s homes were very unsafe, especially for children running around barefoot. I know they don’t really have access to a good health care system so when one does get sick it hurts the whole family, as it did for the client that had to stop her business to take care of her husband. It was nice to see the team of medical personnel out at the market doing a free clinic for the people in Belmopan. I think this is something that I would like to do in the future. Maybe if Dr. Kane and Dr. Cooper take students done for a medical trip, I will be able to join them as an alumnus. I think that would be fun and interesting.

Blog 3

Since I was in the seventh grade I have been going on various mission trips with the churches I have attended. Service is a big part of my life and I try to do as much as I can to help the people around me. Growing up in a Baptist church, service was emphasized greatly as a part of the teachings of what Jesus did and what how God wants us to help others as well. I know this is why I feel that service is very important and why I try to do so much of it. I have been fortunate to have a family that loves me and have had the essentials of life provided for me, so in return I want to help those that may not have these things. Whether it is putting a roof or siding on a house to keep adequate shelter over a family, teaching little kids about Jesus through Bible school, providing medical care, meals, clothes, or furniture to a family that just lost their home, or just showing love by playing with impoverished children, I feel this is my way of giving back to the world and I am blessed to be able to do all of this. My pastor has always encouraged my church family to do more service. Much of which has been in our own small community and within our church family. It could be providing meals for families with loved ones in the hospital or recovering from surgery, or gathering food items to make Thanksgiving meal baskets for families in need. The Belize micro-lending project fits into a new world of service for me. I think its is a great way to serve the people of Belize because this is something that keeps on giving and helping them. A new truck allows a women to get a product to and from the right place more quickly, increasing her business, in turn providing better for her family which could lead to many different things, such as better health and education. International service is also something that interest me very much. After going to Guatemala last year and now Belize, I have seen impoverished countries and want to do as much as I can to help and may someday put my nursing skills to work in countries such as these.

Blog 2

I really enjoyed reading about Yunus’ ideas in The Banker to the Poor. I am really amazed how such a simple idea can change the lives of many. I liked that when coming up with the process upon which to run the Garmeen Bank, that he wasn’t afraid of failing and that he didn’t give up until he found a solution to helping the poor have better lives. I thought that only giving loans to women was a bold step for him to take, but one that was wise, and in doing so this helped the entire family, which might not happen if the loan was given to the male of the household. I was surprised at first, not knowing much about economics, when he mentioned that the interest rate was 20%, but further explained I realized that this wasn't as bad and i had thought and that this actually was necessary to keep giving out more loans. In Creating a World Without Poverty Yunus talked about all the other different Garmeen companies that have been started with the same philosophy in mind. Providing healthcare to the poor at very minimal price is an outstanding idea. The way he was adapting the clinics to what the culture needed, like more women healthcare providers to give the women clients more peace of mind, is really helping the root of the problem for most of the poor.

I think the main idea that Yunus wants to promote is philanthropy not necessarily service. His idea is promoting the poor to be self-reliant and not to rely on others to do the work for them. With all the different Garmeen companies, i feel that Yunus is promoting the welfare of the poor and getting others involved through donations that are changing the world for the poor. I think this method has worked better in helping the poor move out of the category of “poor,” than just having groups come in to do service for the poor. This way seems to last longer and be more long lasting.

Blog 1

My expectations for the class is to learn more about the culture of Belize and micro-lending. I don’t know much or understand a lot about the economics side of things when it comes to helping others, but i am very interested in learning how micro-lending is battling poverty. I also except to get to know everyone well that is in the class. This will make the trip more effective and fun. My expectations of the trip are to have fun experiencing the culture Belize and getting to know its people. I want to see the micro-lending working firsthand so that i may understand it much better. Usually my first concerns when traveling to a foreign country are about the language they speak and safety. Since english is widely spoken and belize is a fairly safe country, my concerns are pretty much gone. After traveling abroad several times, i have learned to adapt to what is around me. There are little questions i don’t know the answer too but expect to learn in class, like is the water safe to drink, what is the currency and its conversation rate to US dollars. What i will bring to team Belize this year is my experience of many service trips from the past. I have been going on service trips since i was in the seventh grade and absolutely love doing them. I have been on many different types of trips from construction to medical to teaching and community service. I can help the team by adding input into the most effective ways of getting projects done to benefit the most amount of people. I also am laid back person when it comes to traveling and like to have fun while doing these types of trips, so hopefully this will contribute to everyone having a great time together. I want others in the group to bring their past experiences in the country and knowledge of economics and business to the table to help me better understand the culture and micro-lending. As well as their amazing personalities so that we can all have a great time getting to know each other and experiencing Belize. I am really looking forward to working with everyone and having a great time in Belize.