A dedicated micro credit fund for rural Madagascar

Earlier this year, in (see project report from April 2021) we reported about the Sewing Machine Project in our third village. We had bought two hand crank sewing machines and offered a sewing workshop to teach basic dressmaking by our founder Dr. Ihanta, who is also an accomplished seamstress. The proof is in the clothing. In the group photo of this report, you see them proudly showing off the clothing they had made for themselves and the community.

Here is a report: “We are happy to see that the ladies do their best. The women who got to participate in the training on sewing are using their new skills to make some money now. The sewing room is all the time busy in the afternoon, as they work in the field in the morning, since before dawn. They asked for more training to improve their knowledge but the more time they practice the more they will see by themselves how to improve their skills. They not only sew cloths for themselves (saving quite a bit of money this way), but they also take orders from others in their community who don’t have time to either sew or did not take the workshop and don’t have the skills to make their own clothing. Right now they are busy sewing their Christmas dresses and clothes for the upcoming celebrations. It is kind of safe to assume that they will be the best dressed villagers in any Christmas celebration in the area.”

Monthly donors - the sweet smell of holiday candy

Thank you to all of Zahana’s current monthly donors!

Here is a sweet deal: GlobalGiving’s monthly donor drive from Dec 13 to 17.

Every monthly donation pledged in this week will be matched 200% in April 2022. This means you donate for 12 months, but Zahana actually get 14 months out of the year 2022.  How sweet is this candy cane, buy 12 get 14?*

Monthly donors, people who give a small amount every month, have become the backbone of our work in Madagascar. It gives us a reliable source of donations every month. It allows us to plan or budget for ongoing expenses such as salaries for our teachers and gardeners.  

Monthly donations frees us from the stress of having to raise our budget for 2022 in the month of December. Traditionally, in the USA over 80% of donations are made in December. Just imagine: you might get one big paycheck in December and have to make it last all year long. Plus, you don’t really know what this paycheck may look like until Dec 31, the big tax-day for end-of-the-year donations. Plus, if some other emergency (or a pandemic) gets all the attention in December, we at Zahana might just fall through the proverbial cracks.

Please consider becoming a monthly donor for Zahana from Dec 13 to 17. Thank you.

*Monthly donations are capped at $200 per month, and have to be actually made for 4 months to qualify, to avoid shenanigans

Links:

• Hand crank sewing machines can make a big difference