The Dignity of Labor

Have you had the occasion of chatting with African women who "buy and sell" in order to support their families? Waking up very early in the morning, a woman roasted her several pounds of fresh peanuts and went to the school grounds to sell to school children and passers-by. She usually sold off in early afternoon. Her capital was less that $10. She makes a small profit each time. But since she has to buy food items for the family dinner from her profit, she is forced to remain in a perpetual cycle of doing the same things every day and not able to grow beyond where she has been for years. It is difficult for her to make any savings and grow her business because her capital. She has a viable business, a good chance for growth, but very limited capital. This is where a well-structured micro-credit becomes saving grace.

What is the real worth of a US$75.== ? The answer depends on whether you are in the US, or in Sierra Leone, or in Nigeria, or in the Congo. In the US, it could be enough to fill up the gas tank of a motor-home, or the cost of a family’s casual dinner out - wine and tips excluded! In a typical African village, $75.== is enough to launch an above-average local business venture. In the hands of a conscientious trader, like the peanuts woman in our story above, a $75.== loan could help her and her family break out of the cycle of poverty. In a reasonable period of time, she herself could become an employer, and her children’s education assured.

A well-structured micro-credit program enables people to break out of the cycle of poverty and dependence. Such a program recycles its resources over and over again. There is dignity in labor. This is not a hand-out! It is gifting that keeps giving.