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Mill Valley Rotary in Colombia
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The Rotary Club of Mill Valley is involved in a multi-club grant providing microcredit loans to very low income people in Bogota, Colombia.
The host club on this grant is the Rotary Club of Bogota Centenario. This is a dynamic club of 20 Rotarians who are dedicated to assisting people displaced by violence. It is estimated that 5 million people or almost one-ninth of the Colombian population has been affected by the ongoing violence. Our club helped create a grant of $67,000 to allow this Bogota club to start its third microcredit project with
the assistance of a non-profit operating agency. These funds will be used over the next two years to start credit groups for 200 very low income borrowers. As the loans are repaid, the money will be reused to allow the borrowers to grow their businesses a little more or the money will move on to a new borrower.
In February of 2013, 8 Rotarians from Marin clubs met with members of the Bogota club, the cooperating NGO, and some of the loan recipients.
The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the slums on the hillsides of Socha 1 1/2 hours by bus from central Bogota. Fifteen years ago these hills were agricultural and now are filled with internally displaced people. Attached are a few pictures of people who are receiving small loans which help them help themselves out of poverty.
Bill Lambrecht