Good Return has moved its blog to: http://blog.goodreturn.org
See you there for regular updates about our programs and initiatives!
12/21/2011
12/09/2011
Good Return's livelihood workshops in Nepal
Anthony is Good Return's first Field Ambassador and left recently for a month in Nepal. This is his second update!
Today I visited Good Return’s livelihood workshops in the Dhulabari and Chadragadhi area in far Eastern Nepal. I was welcomed with tea and smiling curious faces. It was great to see these workshops up close after having heard so much about them. The women attending all had their own text books and were very eager for the day's workshop to begin.
The first workshop I visited was held by the Dhulabari branch manager. The objective of the class was to prepare a community map in order to locate where the resources in the local community are available. Things like water and roads for transport, amongst other issues. This helps to determine whether the business will be sustainable or not. The workshop also gave the women the chance to prepare a seasonal calendar that helps with planning for the harvests.
Planning for a new business is vital in all industries, and especially in agricultural based ventures. This planning forms a key component of Good Return’s livelihood workshops. The information is very practical and specifically catered to the branch members' needs.
Meeting at the Dhulabari branch
Continue reading "Good Return's livelihood workshops in Nepal" »
12/02/2011
Update from the field: Arriving in Nepal
Anthony is Good Return's first Field Ambassador. He recently left Australia to spend a month in Nepal to work with our partners World Education Nepal and Nirdhan Uttan Bank. Visit regularly to read more about his trip! Anthony is pictured right with Ramchandra.
After arriving in Kathmandu late last night, I was immediately hit by a few things. The first was the extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure. Nepal ranks around 150th on the UN Human Development Index. Australia is in the top 5, and the contrasts between the two countries are astonishing. It’s sad that the gap between the developed and developing world is so wide. The second thing that became apparent was the amazing warmth and friendliness of the people (beyond those trying to get me to buy a trekking package and the like). Kathmandu and the people that live here, from my limited experience, seem to have a great character and good spirit. It feels like a city with a soul and history and a continual buzz.
I arrived at my hotel at about 11pm, after winding through the many narrow lanes that make up Kathmandu. I then convinced myself to get into the cold shower and then went to sleep or at least tried to. I'm staying in the Thamel area in Kathmandu which is famous for the contrast of tourists decked out in the latest trekking gear, hippies, beggars, fancy hotels and nightclubs (to name a few). Loud music and car horns can be heard throughout the night.
Today I visited the World Education offices where I met Ramchandra and the team. Tomorrow Ramchandra will accompany me on a flight to Jhapa in the south east of Nepal to start our work in the field. I look forward to informing you of our operations there which will include work on Good Returns livelihoods training and sustainable energy program.
The World Education office in Kathmandu, Nepal.
11/24/2011
Bringing renewable energy technologies to Fiji and Tonga
According to the UNDP, approximately 1.7 billion people in the Asia Pacific region rely on traditional biomass for fuels and 1 billion do not have proper access to electricity. These people are largely dependent upon the use of traditional biomass and fossil fuels for lighting and cooking, which can have a range of negative impacts on the well-being of the poor, in terms of danger to their health (mainly from indoor pollution), their productivity, their local environment, and their social well-being. Among them, the most vulnerable are the women and children who spend a large proportion of their time collecting and using the fuel (thereby suffering the consequences of its use) and who have reduced time remaining for education or income-earning activities.
Given pervasive energy shortages in many developing countries, government priorities are typically centered on providing energy for urban centres and industry, with the rural poor often being neglected by national policies and planning.
Even though most countries have plans for the extension of the electricity grids to villages in the medium to long term, the electricity provided may prove to be unreliable, too expensive for low-income communities or will take a while to be implemented.
However, at Good Return, we firmly believe that meeting the energy needs of the low-income communities through the introduction of sustainable energy technologies can play a significant role in helping to reduce poverty, create new business opportunities, and improve standards of living, health, and education.
Over the last two years, Good Return has developed its Sustainable Energy Program. Our goal is to facilitate access of sustainable and energy efficient technologies to poor households. We aim at allowing women and their families to have access to cheaper, greener and healthier energy sources, and to decrease the impact of energy poverty and hardship on these households.
In addition, we hope to see new opportunities emerging for these households by selling renewable energy and energy efficient products or by improving their existing activities, thanks to more efficient energy practices, leading to increased incomes.
A key aspect of our project is the participation of our microfinance institution (MFI) partners in the process, collaborating with them to promote the access to such equipments to their customers, and simplifying the purchase of such products through micro loans, which reduces the barrier of the upfront costs of new technologies.
After developing and implementing this programme in the Philippines, Nepal and Timor-Leste, Good Return is now focusing on the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) of Tonga and Fiji, working with our MFI partner South Pacific Business Development (SPBD).
Over the last 6 months, we have been working on the first phase, establishing the supply chain to facilitate access to renewable energy products. This has included the selection of appropriate products, finding a local company to act as a distributor, the set up and the training of the distribution network. Women in low-income communities have stepped up to be Village Agents, and have been trained to make presentations about the products and educate their peers in their proper use.
The last phase is to commence in early 2012, and will involve making loans to low-income women and distributing the products to them. The programme will be successful when it is able to maintain itself without Good Return’s continued intervention.
A surprising moment not expected by either Good Return or SPBD? Clients in villages keep asking, “Where is my solar?”
All we can say is that it’s coming soon!
How big of a difference does a solar lamp make? Watch this quick comparison between a kerosene lamp and a solar lamp.
11/11/2011
10/25/2011
Good Return and Porter Novelli win at national PRIA awards
Good Return’s 100 Women campaign was nominated for and won the NSW state award several weeks ago. Last night at the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) awards dinner, we were very pleased to receive the national award in conjunction with Porter Novelli.
This is a premier award and we’re thrilled to have been honoured with it!
Jon Bisset, PRIA Chief Executive said, “The award recipients have demonstrated excellence and best practice – setting a new benchmark for, and demonstrating the continued growth of, the industry. The awards also provide invaluable case studies for those seeking to improve their practice or learn more about the profession.”
Di Bowles, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Good Return said, “It is great to receive recognition for our work in connecting Australians with our neighbours in countries like East Timor and the Philippines. This is also recognition of how important effectively using pro bono partners in the not-for-profit sector is in ensuring success for the organisation and the people we are trying to help.”
Accepting the award, Fionnuala Maye of Porter Novelli said, “Good Return represents a new way of giving. Anyone can log on to www.goodreturn.org and read the stories of the women applying for loans then choose who they want to lend to. When the women repay that loan the lenders can either choose to get their money back or they can relend again and again - helping many others.
“We know that for every woman who receives a loan, there is a flow on benefit to four more people in that community. Those people may be the parents, siblings or children who benefit from the money she earns from the business.
“Porter Novelli is proud to share their communication expertise through a pro bono partnership with Good Return and support a cause that is making a real difference,” said Ms Maye.
Visit www.goodreturn.org to fund a small loan and make a difference today.
Fionnuala Maye of Porter Novelli and Di Bowles of Good Return with the Golden Target award on October 24, 2011.
Good Return & happiness in mX!
Good Return was recently published in mX in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane! We were very excited about this opportunity and got a great response from the public.
If you missed out on your copy of mX, here's our article:
For what it's worth – Joni Morris on buying happiness
If you could buy happiness, would you? I would. Material happiness is fleeting—you just know that little bit of satisfaction from your new shoes or DVD won’t last long. But have you ever shouted a friend dinner and felt great afterwards? Research shows that people who help others are happier and that happy people live longer.
Who’d have thought that the elixir of life lies in a smile?
If you can pay rent, buy groceries, and get yourself to and from work every day with a enough left over for those new shoes or a holiday, you certainly don’t live on Struggle Street. Reality check—you’re actually in the global minority as more than 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day.
I recently started at a non-profit called Good Return and discovered a very simple way to buy myself —and someone who is really struggling—a bit more happiness.
Good Return connects Australians like you and me to impoverished women in the Asia Pacific who need a small loan to start or grow a business and lift themselves out of poverty. And the best thing about it? Every loan has a flow on benefit to four other people, so it’s an unusually effective and unique way to infect the world with happiness.
When you make a loan through Good Return, you decide how much to spend (starting from just $25) and who you want to fund. In six to twelve months you get your money back to keep or re-lend—and to date, the repayment rate is 100%!
There are some truly inspiring stories at Good Return. I was reading yesterday about Domingas Gustavo, a widow who lives in a small shack beside her market stall in East Timor. After living in a refugee camp for three years and losing a son to malnutrition, she returned home to find her house and land had been burned down. To provide for her family again, Domingas set up a vegetable stall with a $100 loan from Good Return. She has since applied for and repaid more than 10 loans and has supported one of her children through high school. She just opened a second stall in hopes she can help her grandchildren.
There are so many women like Domingas out there who just need a small loan so they can grow and sell more vegetables, buy a solar lamp so their family doesn’t have to breathe kerosene fumes, or even just pay for their children’s education.
Buying happiness really is possible when you’re doing good things with your money—especially when you know exactly who it’s going to and what it’s being used for. Through Good Return, it is a loan so you get your money back to buy those shoes or go on a holiday. If that’s not a great way to buy happiness, then I don’t know what is.
Log on to www.goodreturn.org to make a loan today.
Joni Morris works in marketing for Good Return and loves that she found a way to help people living in poverty and buy new shoes, too.
10/20/2011
Keep the promise with a simple handshake
An update from Emma, a volunteer intern at our Sydney headquarters
Good Return supports Make Poverty History's "Keep the Promise" Campaign during Anti-Poverty Week 2011
At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders shook hands to commit to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty in half. At the time this was determined to be those living on less than $1 per day. The handshake was a customary gesture, symbolic of the rapport between leaders. It was also the symbol of their commitment to these goals.
The United Nations set a target of 0.7% of each nation’s gross national incomes (GNIs) to go towards achieving this goal. In Australia, both of the major parties have pledged to lift our aid levels to 0.5% by 2015. Yet this is not enough. During Anti-Poverty Week, we need to urge our politicians to keep their promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and help the world’s poor.
But another set of hands needs to get involved if we really want to make poverty a thing of the past. Whose hands? Ours.
Marketing & Fundraising Director Di Bowles and CEO Guy Winship shake
hands at the Good Return office
Over the course of Anti-Poverty Week, people are taking photos of themselves shaking hands—showing that their hands are also in the mix.
Continue reading "Keep the promise with a simple handshake" »
10/17/2011
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
An update from Emma, a volunteer intern at our Sydney office headquarters
Good Return marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: October 17, 2011
In 2010, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave a message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. He said: “Decent and productive work is one of the most effective ways to fight poverty and build self-sufficiency.”
This year, the Commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is today, Monday, 17 October. The theme of the 2011 observance is, “From Poverty to Sustainability: People at the Centre of Inclusive Development.”
During Anti-Poverty week, and on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Good Return celebrates its success in providing more than 1350 loans to women, and seeing more than 6750 people benefit.
From 1990 to 2005, the proportion of people living under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day declined from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion. On top of this, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing regions dropped from 46 per cent to 27 percent. It appears that these numbers are on track to meet the global target, however, China accounts for nearly the majority of this reduction, meaning that other developing nations have not seen a significant improvement.
We still have a long way to go. UN reports show that almost one in four children under the age of five are underweight in the developing world, and the economic crisis has pushed an estimated 64 million more people into extreme poverty in 2010.
We are thrilled that this year’s theme is focused on people and sustainability, as these are at the heart of the Good Return loan process. We provide functional and financial literacy, skills for sustainable livelihoods, and access to appropriate financial services for the people we loan to. We have even moved to innovative solutions for sustainable energy, with field partners working on energy needs assessments so we can support our clients in using renewable and efficient energy solutions.
Continue reading "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty" »
10/16/2011
Take action on World Food Day
An update from Emma, a volunteer intern at our Sydney headquarters
Good Return marks World Food Day on October 16, 2011
Food is an international love language. But unfortunately for some, it is more than that—it's the necessary crumbs of survival. As we mourn over the decline of banana availability in Australia, the World Bank estimates that in 2010-2011, rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty.
Food is an obvious marker of the disparity between rich and poor. We in the West often ‘live to eat,’ while in developing countries many struggle to ‘eat to live.’
Making a loan on Good Return helps women to start businesses to better feed their families
I recall in my primary school years when mom used to tell me to eat all of my dinner—and think of the starving children in Africa who had no food to eat. And sloppily, I continued to masticate my broccoli, wishing that I could somehow preserve it and send it to those children in Africa… though all the while I wondered whether they would even enjoy the taste.
