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Thursday, June 11, 2015
Reach Out Microfinance
Today we went to Reach Out, which is an organization that helps people get out of of poverty and live more sustainable lives. It's emphasis is on people with HIV/AIDS assisting them with education, medication, and financial support. Not only do they focus on physical constraints, they also look into other problems such as family life. Reach Out focuses on a holistic approach, which includes more than the simply the medication issue. They have groups formed that visit different homes,rural areas, and hostiles to make sure that children and families with HIV/AIDS are receiving the support they need. After walking through the different organizations and branches of Reach Out, we were able to sit in on one of the private banking meetings that they had. Once there, in a group from 15 to 30 people, we saw how they keep their books, collect welfare, and manage savings accounts provided by Reach Out.
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The trip to Reach out was really interesting, I thought it was really great that we could take a look at another organization like TASO and be able to compare the two. From what I got, it seemed like TASO was a better organization when it comes to social support, whereas reach out was the better organization for financial support. Having both of these is really key to making the burden just a little bit lighter on people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really great experience. The private banking opportunities are a great opportunity for people to start saving and have access to loans, since banking is not very accessible to the majority of the population. Being able to sit in on the meeting, even though it was in Luganda, it was a great experience. Reach out is pretty amazing, these people care so much about helping people and it was a great experience to learn about how much good this organization does.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really great experience. The private banking opportunities are a great opportunity for people to start saving and have access to loans, since banking is not very accessible to the majority of the population. Being able to sit in on the meeting, even though it was in Luganda, it was a great experience. Reach out is pretty amazing, these people care so much about helping people and it was a great experience to learn about how much good this organization does.
ReplyDeleteBefore this day I had only a basic understanding for what the purpose of reach out was. I was surprised at how involved reach out is for people with HIV/ AIDS. Like Brennen said, I was really happy to hear that reach out goes beyond helping out with physical problems, they also make an effort to help families with schooling or even feeding them. This was a unique and important experience that I'm glad I got to see first hand.
ReplyDeleteThe micro finance banking system that we witnessed and learned about on this day, is truly a powerful step in the direction of social and economic sustainability. In a country such as Uganda, there is a lot of corruption that leaked in to many other sectors making life more difficult for the individual to do things such as trust a bank. This system not only generates and encourages a saving culture, but also helps individuals to trust their communities and to help hold one another accountable and create more sustainable systems among community members. The microfinancing banking system was so interpreting and is definitely going to make a different in the lives of many individuals, which will eventually make a difference in the greater economy.
ReplyDeleteHallie, I completely agree with your point of the micro finance system being a great step towards social and economic sustainability. The program is encouraging a saving culture and teaching people how to use their money (no matter the amount) effectively. The fact that the groups are not supervised and solely ran by community members who have a stake in the savings, promotes the sustainability of the program.
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