The Asia Foundation

 

Aceh Women's Micro-Credit Challenge Grant

Every dollar you donate will have triple the impact!

A message from Carol Yost, Director of The Asia Foundation's Women's Program:

As the Director of The Asia Foundation's Women's Program, I would like to share a unique opportunity for you to directly impact the lives of very poor women in Aceh, Indonesia, where the average per capita income is less than $1 per day.

United Way International has joined us and pledged a challenge grant that will expand our very successful microcredit initiative and truly transform the lives of thousands of women and their families in Aceh. To secure this grant, however, we must raise $55,000 for our Women's Program by September 30, 2008. Every dollar we raise up to $55,000 will be matched by two dollars from United Way – your donation will have triple the impact!

From my own travels in Aceh, I have seen firsthand that this microcredit project has a direct impact on the lives of women and their families. One woman I met loved to bake, and she had taken a loan equivalent to about $75 to buy ingredients to make cookies, cakes, and other baked goods to sell in her village. (She gave me a peanut butter cookie that was delicious!) With a second loan, she bought plastic containers and was distributing her sweets to nearby villages – her income had increased tenfold.

The Asia Foundation was one of the first organizations to go into Aceh after the tsunami of December 2004. Our ability to reach these communities quickly is a direct result of our decades-long partnerships with local organizations. As a result of the tragic loss of fishermen's lives, more women are now head of their households. For the past three years, we have continued to help the Acehnese people rebuild their lives and communities through initiatives such as the microcredit project.

Acehnese women are extremely entrepreneurial. A little help from you and United Way will enable them to make the transition to successful businesswomen. This grant will go directly to newly established, women-led microcredit organizations in seven districts in Aceh serving more than 2,740 members to provide critical management training, computers, and funds for more than 450 additional and larger loans to meet increasing demand. It will also lead to these organizations' sustainability. With access to these loans, more Acehnese women will be able to create and expand small businesses and home industries that will increase family income and pave the way for more rapid community development.

I am hopeful that you can help us reach our goal of $55,000 by September 30. With a two to one match, your contribution will go far in helping Acehnese women lead their families and communities to a brighter future.

Any donations over and above $55,000 will be directed to other high-priority women's programs, such as creating opportunities for girls and women in Afghanistan to gain a higher education, assisting victims of trafficking in Vietnam, and stopping gender-based violence among internally displaced persons in Nepal.

Already, our Women's Program supporters have increased our outreach capacity and provided generous funds that impact the lives of women throughout Asia on a daily basis.

Thank you for your generous support.

DONATE NOW TO THE ACEH CHALLENGE