Unión MicroFinanza
Community
April 2011
What We've Been Up To
  • Over 97% of all microloans given have been repaid.
  • 30,000 lb of coffee purchased and ready for shipment to the United States.
  • The Vision Campaign: $19,000 raised out of our goal of $41,000 by May 14, 2011.
  • The church of the village of Quiscamote finished with the help of Lakeshore Lutheran Fellowship.
  • Special thanks to METAD and Spring Lake Wesleyan Church for their generous donations this month.
From the Blog
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2011 UMF Vision Banquet
Come join us at the 2011 Unión MicroFinanza Vision banquet! Enjoy an evening of authentic Honduran cuisine, a silent auction featuring goods from Honduras, and hear about our vision for the future.

May 14, 2011 at 6:00pm

Lakeshore Lutheran Fellowship 16790 Van Wagoner Road Spring Lake, MI, 49456

To RSVP or for more information e-mail andrew.boyd@unionmicrofinanza.com, call 231.288.8355 or join on facebook

Suggested donation of $25 at event


Microloans: A recap and looking ahead
After looking back upon the first year working with the families of La Unión, one thing is certain: it has been a year of change.

As an organization, UMF has gone through many changes—deciding to focus 100% on agricultural microloans rather than traditional microloans, giving microloans as necessary field inputs rather than money, and learning innumerable lessons from the people of La Unión.

More importantly, this has been a year of change for 126 farmers and their families living in the villages surrounding La Unión. We have seen the first steps for growing production, improving quality, managing money and, most importantly, looking to the future so that they can continue to improve their lives.

Read the rest of this article on our blog...


The History of Community in La Unión
As my stay in La Unión continues extending itself, I learn more about the people I live with. And no, I’m not talking about Unión MicroFinanza staff members Andrew, Mike, or Charlie. I’m learning a lot about los Unióneros (Hondurans from La Unión.)

Recently, I’ve learned more through Mike’s encounter with a veteran gringo, Gifford Laube, a Peace Corps volunteer who passed through our village more than a decade ago, and who is married and working in Trinidad, Honduras.

Gifford, apparently also known to locals as Mateo, lived in the northern part of town, just a little bit past the park. The area he lived around was made up of the Martinez’s, one of La Unión’s formative families. He lived by himself in a mud-brick home and built himself his own latrine. Or so the legend goes. To travel to Santa Barbara or Lepaera, he would walk through jungle for hours on end. No buses. No jalóns, otherwise known as a hitch in the back of a passing pickup. Now it’s easy to get a jalón.

Read the rest of this article on our blog...


Watch Our Community Video
Throughout the past month, UMF Manager of Community Relations, Daniel Schwartz, interviewed individuals of the villages of La Unión. See what they have to say about the community they live in.

To view the video, visit the Unión MicroFinanza Community Video


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