Giving Thanks by Giving Back!

November was a terrific month for our Kiva faithful. A small group of us met on November 20 and distributed $450 into 17 new loans, all from loan payback money. We made one loan to a person in Nicaragua that we are going to track over the next few months to see what happens with it. The situation on the ground in Nicaragua is somewhat unfavorable for Kiva loans, but recent passing of laws may help stabilize things. Meanwhile, on their own, individual team members were busy! We currently stand at 1,265 loans totaling $32,900. We have already surpassed the loan totals for 2013. I'm excited to see where we end up for 2014!

$25 gift cards are still available for purchase. Just let Katy Fink-Johnson know if you would like to buy one.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 15 at noon at Wellshire Church.

Our Fourth Year Is Starting Out Strong!

The Wellshire Microfinance Committee did not meet in October, but that doesn't mean our members haven't been busy! Since the end of September, WMF team members have made 42 loans for $1,050 on the Kiva website. I am so thankful for this group of dedicated individuals who continue to feel moved to help people around the world build a better life for themselves.

We will meet on Thursday, November 20 at noon at Wellshire and redistribute funds from loan paybacks to invest in new loans. We currently have $314 in loan paybacks, which I expect will increase a bit by the time we meet. If you cannot attend the meeting on November 20, please stop by our table at the Alternative Christmas Market on Sunday, November 23.

If you are interested in learning more about Kiva and the Microfinance Committee, or perhaps joining the team, please contact Katy Fink-Johnson at kafink@presby.edu, 720-488-8706.

Greetings from Tanzania!

Read on for updates on Leonard and his group Mafinga, recipients of a Wellshire Microfinance loan:



Greetings from Tanzania! Thank you for supporting Leonard and his group Mafinga,with the loan. With the loan he received from Kiva partner Tujijenge, he used to buy more flour, sugar, eggs and cooking fat to make more cakes. He managed to do so and his monthly profit really rose. He used the profit to pay for his welfare costs and plow back to business. He is so proud of Kiva. He and his group Mafinga, are so grateful with the loan and thankful with everyone who has supported them.

Thank you, Kiva Lenders, Please click on the following link to see other; loaning to Tujijenge Tanzania
Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd
Posted by Rita Nyaborogo from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Sep 30, 2014

September Begins a New Season

We have begun our fourth year with an outstanding month. Our members invested in 68 loans worth $1,725. We had loans made by our committee, the Pioneers, and Club 45, in addition to many loans made by individuals. Many thanks to all who contributed. It was a team effort.

September was also a transition month for WMF. Katy Fink-Johnson has graciously volunteered to take over as moderator. She brings energy, enthusiasm for microfinance, and dedication. I have no doubt that WMF will continue to grow under her leadership. Please support her in her new calling.

I am stepping aside after three years as moderator, but I intend to continue as an active member of WMF. It has been a blessing in my life to watch WMF grow into a viable organization in the fight against worldwide poverty. I want to personally thank all of you who helped WMF succeed.

Wes Smits

Report for August 2014

August was a slow month for WMF. We made seven loans worth $175. Our cumulative totals are now 1082 loans worth $28,175. That is not surprising, since July was a record month. Nonetheless, now might be a good time to check our portfolios for loan paybacks which we can invest in new loans. When you make a new loan, Kiva will automatically subtract your account balance from the cost of a new loan.

At our next meeting on Thursday,September 18, we will have a balance of at least $281 to invest in new loans. The balance will probably be much higher by that time. Everyone is welcome to join us at 12:00 pm at Wellshire Church for our meeting.

July Was a Record Month!

After a slowdown in June, we stepped up in July with a record month for loans. Our members came through with 75 loans. At our meeting in June, we made 18 loans, all from loan paybacks. Our cumulative totals through July are 1,075 loans worth $28,000. Our members remain committed to helping the poor improve their economic circumstances. We are grateful for your continued efforts to supply a cup of cold water to those who live in poverty around the world.

Summer is a bit slow...

Since the beginning of May, lending has slowed down a bit. We have made 31 loans worth $775. We did not have a June meeting, so there will be over $300 in loan paybacks to invest at our July meeting on July 17. Currently, we have made 999 loans since the beginning less than 3 years ago. It will be a time of thanks when we pass 1,000 loans.

Our Faithful Members

The fact that we didn't hold a meeting in April did not slow down our members. Our investments totaled 49 loans worth $1,250. Our members took the initiative to invest without prompting. It's clear that we view KIVA as a very efficacious program to help fight poverty in the world. Since our start in September 2012, we have made a total of 968 loans worth $25,275. Thank you to all who participated. We pray for God's blessing on the people to whom we've made loans.

March was a very good month for Wellshire Microfinance

Because of some generous donations, our group was able to make 53 loans this month worth $1,375. In addition, the loans from donations plus loan paybacks and individual efforts, put us over 900 loans. Our cumulative totals are 919 loans worth $24,025. We are very grateful for everyone's efforts to keep Wellshire Microfinance making an impact.

At our April meeting on Thursday, April 17, we will continue to invest from our restricted funds and from our loan paybacks. It would be wonderful if we can hit 1,000 loans by September 28, which will be our third anniversary. We might even be able to make 1,000 loans in 1,000 days. What a blessing this opportunity is!

March 2014 Recap

On Thursday, March 20, we were able to invest a sizable amount of our restricted fund from donations. We made 18 loans (approx. $500). In addition, we made 6 loans from our loan paybacks. Curtis and I had to reassign seven loans on Friday because of problems with PayPal. PayPal did not let Kiva know what the $500 was to be used for, so Kiva assigned it to our credit account. Fortunately, 11 of our loans were still available, but we had to make substitutions for seven of our loans. We chose loans very similar to the ones we couldn't retrieve.

The 24 loans we were able to make pushed our cumulative total to 906 loans worth $23,625. Alleluia! We are on pace for another very good month.

February Finishes Strong

Despite being the shortest month, February produced outstanding results for Wellshire Microfinance. Our group made 59 loans worth $1,625. We had investments made by a large number of our members. Our cumulative totals are now 866 loans worth $22,650. It's very gratifying to see that commitment to microfinance remains strong.

The prospects for March also look positive. We've already received word of six loans made by Club 45, our fourth and fifth grade group. Since February, 2012, Club 45 has made 26 loans under the direction of Holly Inglis and Dan Zuchegno. That's terrific!

In March, Wellshire Microfinance will concentrate on investing the donations in our restricted fund. Our next meeting will be on March 20 at 12:00 pm. We hope to see you there.

When we read about so much unrest in our world, it's good to know that we can do something positive to help the poor around the globe.

Results for January 2014

In January, our members invested in 21 loans worth $725. In addition, WMF received another generous donation. We will try to invest this money, along with our loan paybacks, at our February 20 meeting at 12:00 pm at Wellshire Church. We may have to schedule an additional meeting in March to complete investing these funds. Our year is off to a good start. The cumulative totals through January are 807 loans worth $21,025. Thanks to all who contributed in January. Please pray for Kiva as the organizations struggles with problems in the Middle East, South Sudan, and the Philippines.

Year in Review: Wellshire Microfinance Results 2013

A Year of Inspiration

Over 1 million people funded over 1/2 billion dollars to 1 million people through Kiva -- truly something for which to give thanks. As there were far more loan requests than Kiva could fund, Kiva has begun experimenting with new ways of funding and recruiting large corporate donors to fund more applicants.

Wellshire Microfinance Results in 2013

We started the year with 313 loans worth $8,250. By the end of November we had cumulative totals of 721 loans worth $18,625. In December, we invested in 65 loans. That brought our year- end cumulative totals to 786 loans worth $20,300. That is an increase of over 200% for the year. Amazing! In addition, we received over $1,000 in donations to apply to new loans. We look forward to building on these totals in 2014. A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed and committed to reducing poverty in 2013!

Looking Ahead to 2014

We hope to reach 1,000 loans this year. If we all reinvest our loan paybacks, this should happen in the near future. Also, we would like to add new members; please talk to people you know about joining Wellshire Microfinance. Our first meeting in 2014 will be Thursday, January 16 at 12:00 pm.