2017 Review/ 2018 We are Coming for You!

So we are a couple days away from 2018, and we accomplished a lot this year! We were able to raise money for a new roof for a medical building as well as be a huge donor in building a school with concrete walls, floors, a real roof etc.... all while still giving out our interest free loans. We had a special project for the roofs because of the damage of Hurricane Matthew last year.

YTD (that's year to date if you aren't up with the lingo) Open Hand has raised money for 190 individual loans and our Director, Nicolas in his wisdom and business savvy skills has turned that into 384 loans! That's a monetary impact of almost a half a million dollars. Say what?! We were able to hire a secretary for Nick and now we have the money for the next years worth of salary for the both of them!

2018, we are coming for you! I'm expecting huge things this year. Mostly because 18 has always been my lucky/favorite number. I'd really love to get to Pignon this year. I have this vision of getting everyone together who has ever gotten a loan as well as current loan recipients and their immediate dependents and having a picture of all these Haitian faces and then there are two white middle aged (gulp) women who helped start it all.

We are hoping to get a website this year. One that won't cost as much for monthly hosting. I'd love to get a second wind and start fundraising again. I think I will talk to Alisha and Nick about what our goals should be as a team this year.

Things that make you say, "Hmmm"

Or more appropriately - Things that make you say, "What the f*ck"
Insult:

And just in case I don't remember why this hurt this is my only sibling who apparently is doing very well with diaper cake business (of which I still don't understand the popularity) and this is our mutual friends non profit who started the same time Open Hand did.

Injury: Found out my parents are giving to Just One Africa on a monthly basis.

2016 Review

127 loans with a total of 494 people being directly impacted for the better because of those loans. We also attempted to raise 10k to replace 3 key roofs in the city of Pignon that were damaged from the hurricane. Thankfully, my husband and his business partner had pity on us since we raised $350 bucks from all our donors towards the 10k goal. Which of course, didnt mean diddly squat in even doing ONE roof. We are now beginning to have the roofs redone and are awaiting pictures of the work. And in the planning stages of trying to get to Pignon for the first and last time to meet everyone who has received a loan. Then I think the plan is to just let the wonderful business model continue which is to not put in another dime but every time people pay back their loans then it goes out to another person and keeps going and going and... the energizer bunny but for small business loans.

Thankful for one other donation that allowed us to not only pay for our Directors salary for 2017, but up it as well. As this will more than likely be the last year we are involved in Haiti. Or anything for that matter. There's not just no more money coming in and the desire to try and fundraise isn't there. When it was there, we were getting some donations but not nearly what we needed and with the last letter we sent out, which was our first communication asking for money all year and getting only $350 it was a clear sign we have worn out our welcome or those peoples pocketbooks.