Hi everyone
I recently discovered an online microfinancing organisation, which supports the desperately poor across the world by extending small loans, via donations given by thousands of people collectively. Please have look at
http://www.kiva.org/. (I did email Jundo about this).
The wonderful thing about giving dana here is that you can decide where your support goes and you may even get the amount loaned back to reinvest or recoup. The projects available ask for loans from $100 to $10000 and you can donate from $25 towards these, so collective donations will eventually fund a loan. The projects ask for amounts as little as $100 for example to purchase books for an African school or food to start up a Cambodian market stall. Anyway this innovative style of giving promotes individual responsibility, purpose and sustainable development. Of course not all projects work out but at least those individuals and groups were given a chance where none was available before.
I know I am selling this, but it is out of sincere enthusiasm for this concept, which is particularly about the kind of 'social engagement' discussed in this thread. I am a member of team UK and Europe, but if anyone else has a look and decides this is a good thing, maybe we could form a Treeleaf team.
Please let everyone know what you think?
Many gassho's Nigel.