I met the inspirational lady behind Deki charity at a Portishead Chamber of Commerce business breakfast this morning. Vashti Seth has a vision of “A world full of opportunity not poverty” and her pioneering microfinance model is empowering people in the developing world as I type this.
Here’s how it might work. You could lend just £10 to an African entrepreneur and through some clever crowdfunding, you’d be helping them to set up or grow a business so they can have a better chance of feeding their family each day or giving their children an education. The charity also supports them locally by offering the skills needed for the entrepreneurs to have the best chance of succeeding in their business. Once they’ve made enough profit, they repay the loan and you get your £10 back to either keep or reinvest to offer someone else an opportunity.
You’d have to be a tough cookie not to be touched by Vashti’s vision and not surprisingly, after her talk, I heard a good number of business people and Gordano School staff discussing how they were planning to go onto the charity’s website to invest some money. I for one am going to discuss this amazing concept with my sons and I think it would be a great Christmas present, particularly for children. I can picture my boys seriously deliberating over which business to invest in.
If you want to find out more, take a look at the Deki charity website and also have a look at this 70 second Aardman Animations’ video which explains the micro funding concept much more succinctly than I can!
From what you told us this morning Vashti, I’m certain your Father would have been hugely proud of what you’ve achieved already.
Best of luck with the forty day challenge – can’t wait to see what you end up with!
