by Brian Doe, Regional Director For West Africa and the Middle East
Blog
Unlike at traditional banks, portfolio managers for microfinance institutions need to travel daily to villages and often the homes of their clients as a key part of building a bond with the entrepreneurs they want to ensure succeed with the loans they take from Whole Planet Foundation's partners. This means long days in the field, unexpected dangers or obstacles and putting in overtime to help a client that may need some extra mentorship or support to succeed. The photo above shows a Field Officer assisting with a savings and loan meeting organized by Village Enterprise in Uganda.
Compete in Whole Planet Foundation's Virtual 10K Activity Challenge during November to create opportunity
Blog
Grab your running shoes, kayak, skateboard, or whatever gets you moving and travel 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) or more between November 1-30th to complete the Whole Planet Foundation Turkey Trek Challenge to support micro entrepreneurs. Set your own personal goals in November and compete with your friends and family.
2019 Trailblazer Awarded on October 25, Poverty Is Unnecessary Day
Blog
At Whole Planet Foundation’s Annual Benefit & Auction, the Foundation honored the Frontier Co-op Well Earth sourcing program as its 2019 Trailblazer. The missions of Whole Planet Foundation and Frontier Co-op align perfectly around one central idea -- empowering people. In 2007, Frontier Co-op created the Well Earth sourcing program not only to ensure the sustainability of its products, but to empower its growers.
Campaign funds grants for salad bars, school gardens and educational beehives to reach 655,000 kids and provide health and wellness education for 7,500 teachers
Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas, October 29, 2019 /3BL Media/—Whole Kids Foundation announced today that $5.6 million was raised through its annual Growing Healthy Kids campaign at Whole Foods Market stores that will fund K–12 school programs in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. that change the way we feed our kids. The funds raised include a $1 million customer donation match by Whole Foods Market.
An incurable Francophile, Elizabeth is uncommonly passionate about language learning – especially the ability of languages to connect people. She holds a Diplôme Supérieur for French business and has worked in research for the Chambre de Commerce in Grenoble, France and as Marketing Coordinator for L’Oréal, Paris. In 2007 she earned an MA in 18th c. French Literature from the University of Texas and subsequently served for five years as Professor of French at Texas State University until 2012 when she left to form Freestyle Language Center.
Annual Give Bees a Chance campaign success brings pollinator education and beehives to 28,000 children at schools and nonprofits
Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas, July 9, 2019 /3BL Media/ — Today, Whole Kids Foundation announced that it raised more than $113,000 to fund 56 new bee grants through the 2019 Give Bees a Chance campaign during June’s National Pollinator Month. The monthlong fundraising effort supported the organization’s Bee Grant Program, which provides schools and nonprofits with beehives to help kids understand the important role bees play in our food system.
Every quarter Whole Planet Foundation aggregates field metrics from our microfinance partners who are disbursing and collecting microcredit loans to people living in poverty.
At a microfinance group meeting of a Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partner, you might see a lot of paper: piles of cash, thick record books to record attendance and meeting minutes; repayment schedules; group loan balance reports; passbooks. At the branch office, too, more paper: stacks and binders and file cabinets full of applications and loan contracts.
