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SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Help People Help
People – Microcredit & Social Business – Philanthropy &
Volunteer Work
I've recently become
interested in these issues through the works of M. Yunus on
microlending and the elimination of poverty, and through
initiatives like
KIVA. I am currently developing my own network, the Language
Learning and Travel Network
whose activities will eventually fuse with those of this Social
Development Network, to help people help people, and provide
various opportunities for microcredits and social business.
There
is nothing wrong with typical microcredit programs that help small
entrepreneurs buy a cow or a sewing machine, or offer them the
means to acquire additional inventory for already established
businesses. However, while such actions increase commerce and the
economic well being of those entrepreneurs, they do not
fundamentally change the fabric of society. I propose a series of
well defined projects that create jobs and improve the
environment, the education and health of a wide spectrum of
participants. These projects also constitute linguistic and
cultural exchange opportunities for the traveling members of our
network.
PROJECTS
1.
Bike Shops
Help locals set up shops for new and used
bikes; they can make a living, and members and non-members can
rent bikes; all helping to reduce air pollution!
2.
Literacy and Book Shops
Help foster the base of true
democracy! Volunteers implement literacy programs, and sell or
lend books and other cultural media to the local population.
3.
Talk Shops
Language forums to complement our online and
face to face language learning programs. Engage with the locals
in your target language when visiting their country. You help
them, they help you.
4. Health
Shops
Referral services, free advice and products for
basic health care and family planning.
5.
Hostels and Halfway Houses
Places where you can stay
overnight while traveling, meet local members. They also provide
a refuge and counseling facilities for victims of domestic
violence, young runaways, etc.
6.
Ecology Shops
Create jobs and help distribute
information, sell ecological
products, increase
civic awareness and promote more ecological lifestyles.
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