Group Trip!!!

This past week we accomplished something awesome - We took our first team down to Haiti. A team of professional men and women who wanted to see what small business loans were all about. I have to brag on this team - 3 of the 9 had never been to a third world country before but you would have never known it. This team kicked butt and took names. I'm so very proud of each of them and their hard work from distributing clothes, shoes and food to one of the poorest villages to teaching business seminars to over 500 people - they did a fantastic job and it makes me want to cry. In a good way of course.

Our Haitian employees - Nicolas and Franck were on the ball translating and with us the entire time. It was a great first time experience for some with enough danger but not too much, enough level of camping and 'roughing it' but not too much to make them want to come back again. The passion in these men and women was visible. They had so many stories of success and failures in business from their own life - words of encouragement and wisdom as people begin to be their own boss when they receive a small loan from us.

Oh - total side note - I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that Alisha and I have now stayed in the same room and on this trip was the first time I discovered this - prepare to be amazed -

Oooo Ahhhh... I can hear you now - I'm sure y'all took one look at this and totally got it. I wish I could blame jetlag for the fact that I only got this on this trip and I've stayed in this room for probably a total of 2 weeks since last June - behold.... .small blue for pee and big blue for... well you get the idea. Wow! Genius water conservation!


Here is our incredible team - so very proud of everyone!!!

I need to vent

Don't worry, it won't be long - so I have an acquaintance who has started a business regarding rescue animals. I for one can't even watch a movie if there is any mistreatment of animals. Seabiscuit? Nope. Couldn't watch it. And I understand animals feel pain, happiness etc.... ok. get to the point, Lis. So this new start up, I mean less than a week old start up has already had someone donate $28,000 towards their efforts to rescue animals. ANIMALS. Seriously? How about rescuing your fellow human being? I can't begin to understand the rationale behind this. It shocks me so deeply that I become speechless, I know, that's big isn't it?  It is beyond saddening to me that people can jump on the 'save the animals' band wagon while there are countless hundreds of children dying because their families dont have food and we can fix it. Give Open Hand $28,000 dollars and I will show you 500 people whose lives will be better forever because of it!

I wont be making this post public because I don't want to get the animal rights activists pissed off at me but it sure would be nice if we had such a huge outcry and resources (money) being poured into helping our fellow man.