Posted by
Hard Right with No Apologies on Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:11:46 PM
Everyone yearns to be free. That's an axiomatic truth which Thomas Jefferson so eloquently expressed in the Declaration of Independence. (Incidentally, schoolchildren, that's a fascinating document. So is the Constitution of the United States. If your history teacher has only taught you America's history of the slavery and exploitation of victims within and without, you may want to ask him or her to teach these documents. You'll learn about the magnificent foundation on which this blessed nation was built, and why conservative Americans are so adamant about keeping that foundation healthy.)
Similarly, most adults yearn to be in control of their economic circumstances: not to be rich, necessarily, but to be able to earn their own bread and secure their own financial future without being dependent upon others. In this country, we operate within a quasi-capitalist economic structure, the "quasi" being how socialists have diminished free enterprise with rules, regulations, agencies, taxes, fees, and bureaucrats whose sole delight is to sniff into our affairs. For the most part, we Americans have the right and opportunity to establish a business, claim it as ours, and offer a product or service to the market. If it's appealing to buyers and priced right, it sells; if not, we learn a hard lesson and perhaps start over.
But consider the plight of the would-be entrepreneur in a place like Afghanistan or Egypt. In poor countries, there is inevitably no tradition of accessible capital for those who would like to start a business. Commercial money lenders routinely charge exorbitant rates of interest, often in excess of 100%. Thus people tend to borrow only for medical emergencies, not to finance a business. In addition, because such countries often don't have a viable system of private property (i.e. registered deeds and the right to build or improve as one sees fit), there is almost no opportunity for presenting real collateral as a basis for a loan. So the man or woman who'd like to borrow money to buy flour and oil and fuel for a fire can't add value to the ingredients and bake a loaf of bread, which he or she can sell for a profit and thus pay back the loan.
But now there is a solution. And praise the Lord, it's not a government solution (is that an oxymoron?). An organization based at www.kiva.org will pool contributions from ordinary folks around the world (generally Americans, because we're an extraordinarily giving people) and lend them in small amounts to the would-be baker in Afganistan or Egypt. That baker can then buy the oven, the ingredients, and a market stall to sell his goods. He or she can hire staff to help. If the business is operated on sound principles, the baker can rent another market stall in a different part of the city and double production--and sales.
How much does it cost to start such a business in poor countries? Around $500. That's it. Any American who feels a desire to reach out to the world's poor in a way that doesn't end up in some dictator's Swiss bank account can access kiva.org and donate a few to a few hundred dollars, knowing that it will be pooled with other contributions and go to an eager entrepreneur who has a burning desire to escape the crushing cycle of poverty that his economic system has dictated for centuries.
It strikes me, a la the apostle James' admonition to "visit widows and orphans in their affliction", that this is an effective and very Christian thing to do. Who knows? You may travel to Afghanistan one day and buy a loaf of bread from the baker you put into business. Better yet, if he discovers that the loan was made in the name of Jesus Christ, you may see him in the kingdom of heaven, where both of you can dine on manna. What could be better?
Posted by Hale Meserow
April 19, 2007