There’s the old adage that goes “It is better to give than to receive” that we all have heard from our parents and one we all will likely pass on the same. When I was a child, I did not understand this phrase-receiving was the best! But, as I got…...
The Loanees of Wisconsin Microfinance
Although the importance of microfinance has grown exponentially in the past few decades, it is not itself an end all solution. In truth, a loan is worth nothing without a headstrong recipient. At Wisconsin Microfinance, we are lucky enough to have these incredibly strong willed and driven individuals who…...
Donor Spotlight: Alana McKeever
Because Wisconsin Microfinance relies entirely on our supporter base for funds, our donors are especially important to us and our success. Any advances made, any people or families lifted out of abject poverty, in fact, any programs at all are made possible only through the support of our wonderful donors.…...
Development Snapshot: Haiti and the Philippines
The phrase “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” is a classic American phrase that highlights the idea of personal self-reliance that the US so loves to harp on. However, how does one improve their situation when they don’t even have any boots? Economically speaking, Haiti is the poorest country…...
The Necessity of Hope
Every day, it seems, there is a new crisis somewhere in the world. Especially as of late, news cycles are so often dominated by doom and gloom. Hurricanes destroying the Caribbean, political unrest in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and our own backyard, and the re-emergence of the plague in…...
Remembering Typhoon Haiyan
Four years ago, the Philippines was utterly devastated by the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record, Typhoon Haiyan. The 30th storm of the 2013 Pacific Typhoon season, Haiyan originally seemed to be just another strong tropical storm. However, as it moved west, it kept gaining power at a seemingly exponential…...