Social Business Investment

For those of you who have not heard of “Social Business” it comes to us from The Banker To The Poor – Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunus. He extablished the first experiments with micro-credit which evolved into Grameen Bank.

His latest book is: Creating a world without poverty – How Social Business can transform our lives.

The Social Businesses described are like traditional for-profit businesses except that instead of all of the profits going into the pockets of the investors, the profits help the humanitarian cause for which the business was established. Depending on the agreement with the investors, they may continue ownership of the enterprise or they may be repaid thier investment with appropriate interest. Some investors will, for the sake of the humanitarian cause agree to taking no profit, others may still need one or two percent to meet the needs of their board of directors or shareholders.

The businesses in the Orphan Communities are being established as Social Businesses. You can see the various businesses that make up the Funding Activities that in turn pay for the Childcare Activities of the community at: www.orphancommunities.org.

You can contact the organization to discuss your interest in investing…

Language proficiency critical in older cross-cultural adoption

A lesson learned: Language proficiency is critical when adopting an older child who speaks a different first language.

When first agreeing to a volunteer trip to help a private orphanage in Mexico, I had no initial thought of repeating the experience, let alone of adopting any of the children we met. I did however yield to the opportunities for several repeat visits until, when the death of one of the owners of the orphanage meant it was about to be closed, my hardcore objectivity and control melted me into a pool of blubbering emotion.

Having gotten to know the 120 children, it was heartbreaking to see them being redistributed to other orphanages throughout the state, or being placed with known relatives (who in some cases were not even able to support themselves, let alone the children now being placed with them). While I was vulnerable, the older of two brothers whom I had learned to care about over the last year, approached me with the request that I adopt them. Making a very long story short, after checking into the legalities, I moved to Mexico, brought my mother along to be grandmother to the children and we started the…

45,000 people dying a month in Congo

This article appeared January 22, 2008

Makes me wonder if anyone cares…..

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45,000 people dying a month in Congo
By HEIDI VOGT, Associated Press Writer
DAKAR, Senegal – Some 45,000 people die each month in Congo as the world’s deadliest humanitarian crisis has failed to improve despite five years of relative peace in the Central African nation, according to a report released Tuesday.

A Challenge to Social & Business Networks: Which helps most, is most Charitable?

There are now hundreds of on-line social and business networks around the world vying for our attention.

When we look at just the networks that each have a minimum of one-million members, combined, they have over a billion members. The question that may be asked is, “What good are they doing?”

Many people join just for the social interaction, many as job seekers and many just to share ideas.

We may also wonder however, do Social & Business Networks have a Social Conscious? Do they purposefully do good things for our world and those in need? Do they, via their members, really help when presented with an opportunity to do so? If so, then we wonder, which Network can prove itself to be the most responsive, the most charitable?

This is the question that is the subject of the Proving People Care project.

The Test Subject being used for this Challenge is the 501-c-3 charity, Our Family Orphan Communities, Inc., and their humanitarian project Ethanol & Orphans/Disabled Children.

This project, now underway in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam will do all of this and more:
· Improving the environment by providing ethanol instead of petrochemical fuels
· Caring for street orphans…

Why are people (you?) indifferent to thousands of children dying daily?

Vietnam Vice President Appreciates Ethanol & Orphan/Disabled Children Project

In our recent meeting with Vietnam Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan in Ha Noi, executive director Bob Miller had the opportunity to discuss the Ethanol & Orphan / Disabled Children Project being started in Vietnam.

She expressed her appreciation for how this project will help the disabled and disadvantaged children of Vietnam – estimated at over 3 million.
The project is currently looking for the funding needed to do the engineering, environmental and feasibility studies.

For complete details of how this project will use the profits from the ethanol refinery to help humanitarian projects, see the website for Our Family Orphan Communities, Inc. = http://www.orphancommunities.org/

Agent Orange continues its Devastation

Our partner organization, the Vietnam Aid Society for Disabled Children, helps those who are still being born today with birth defects, to become self-sufficient.

Here, helping children to gain computer skills, even if they have to use their foot to move the mouse.

The profits that will come from the ethanol refinery will provide more assistance to more children.
www.orphancommunities.org

Project Progress

With our second trip to Vietnam, we made excellent progress with the Ethanol & Orphans project.

Due to the work of our partner organization, Vietnam Aid Society for Disabled Children, we have political support from the President, current Vice President, former Vice President and Prime Minister.

In addition to political support, Ninh Binh Province has donated the land we need to begin the project.

2008 will be the year we begin construction!!
www.orphancommunities.org