Hi Friends, many of you will know that I rode in this race last year.  I'm looking forward to 140km of amazing Victoria roads, hills and trails, but most importantly in reestablishing the friendships I developed with the group that I rode with last year. There were 10 of us that rode together last year, all of us competitive, all pushing each other, but none so much as to leave a comrade behind.  

While the training was gruelling, the race tested our endurance and mental toughness, the defining point for me was going down a hill at km 75.  Riding in a group, is tricky.  Going 60+km downhill in the group is not for the faint of heart.  When a father and his daughter crashed just in front of us, the rest of the riders scattered to avoid more pile ups, but all 10 of us stopped immediately, got off our bikes, and attended to the injured.   

In the moment, it didn't seem special at all, just human.  But it was after the 45 minutes had passed, when the Father/Daughter were loaded into the Ambulance, (broken bones, punctured lung and concussed) and we hopped back on our bikes and rejoined the race that it began to sink in.  Altruism is rare in our society of Rush, Rush, Rush.  But our team is made up of some amazing people and we believe in helping others.

Opportunity International is an amazing organization that does this on a daily basis.  They target countries where poverty is rampant but work ethic remains strong.  OI, finds people that want to open or expand their current business.  OI (we) help them to ensure that their business idea is sound, we train them on how to succeed, we provide assistance with understanding the business world, then we provide them with a loan get going. We follow up to ensure their success, the business person repays the loan, and then we use this money again to perpetuate the cycle so that another person now has a continued source of income.  This organization is not about hand-outs.  It's about giving a hand-up!  We help people who want to help themselves and one  family at a time, we are breaking the cycle of poverty.

My request of you...  Please support me in this fundraising effort.  I need your help to achieve this success.  Please click on the link to make your donation now.  I'm excited to say that everydonation that is made on or before June 30 will be matched by a private donor.  While my goal for this year is $3000, If I can reach this by June 30, then together, we will have effectively raised $6000.  At an average of $150/loan, that means that our fundraising alone could change the lives of 40 families.

Also, I will add that if you like the idea that I've presented, we still have the ability to add more members to our team.  Please send me a note and I'll connect you to the right people.  If you live in Comox Valley and want to join me for a training ride anytime, I'd love the company.  5k, 20k, 50k or more, whatever speed you want to go, let's ride together.

I thank you for considering this organization and hope that you'll be part of our victory.

Sincerely, Jeff

ps, I've attached a story of one of our loan recipients below.  It always gives me chills to hear about how they achieve such great success with what we would consider to be so little.

Join our team by  Clicking here to set up your fundraising page

Support hard working, creative entrepreneurs in Nicaragua just like Yesenia.

Yesenia del Socorro Rostran, Managua, Nicaragua, 32 years old.

Daily routine: She gets up at 3:40 am, she starts the day by cleaning the corn for the tortillas, then her husband and 13 year old son take the corn to be grained . She starts making tortillas at 4:30 am. Through the day she takes her of her corner store and sells tortillas while doing house work. At 4 pm she goes to the market to replenish supplies for the businesses.

Garlic business: She buys boxes of garlic, which she then packages them by weaving banana leaf through the middle. She sells packages of 10. Her 13 year old son also goes on the streets and tries to sell them or takes them to the market and sells it to the fruit stands.

She dreams buying a bigger truck to be able to buy more inventory for her businesses and grow bigger in all of them.

Who used to work with her in 2009:  Just her and the husband.

Who does she employ now:  her brother who has 5 children.

Between her family and brother, 12 people benefit from this business

Marital status: married (husband helps with all the businesses)

Level of education achieved:  grade 6

Children: 4, ages 13 to 5 months

Originally: from Tipitapa.  Left her hometown looking for better job opportunities.  Arrived to Managua 7 years ago only with her clothes and a matress

First loan:  in 2009- US$300

Type of business:  sells garlic, makes and sells tortillas, sells beans, butchers pigs and owns a corner store

Why did she choose this business:  Her father used to sell garlic, so she started helping her father at age 9. 

What did she use the loan for:  To buy inventory for her corner store, to buy garlic in bulk, to buy bigger pigs to sell the meat. 

NEED IN NICARAGUA: MICROFINANCE SERVICES
Nicaragua is the poorest country in Latin America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti. Close to 50% of the 6.5 million people are living below the poverty line (32% with less than $2 per day). The unemployment rate is 7% and underemployment is over 46% which means that most Nicaraguans do not have a source of income to meet the most basic needs of their families. Nicaragua needs an influx of capital to stimulate the development of the private sector in the poorest and marginalized areas of the country in order to break the cycle of poverty.

OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

Opportunity International provides access to financial solutions empowering people living in poverty to transform their lives, their childrens futures, and their communities. $150 dollars funds one loan, is repaid and re-loand every 3 months and helps mothers provide more meals, regular schooling, and basic santization for their kids. Families, communities, and regions are developing out of poverty because of this powerful tool that is recycled and multiplies. Read more WOMEN represent an estimated 70% of those living on less than $2/day. Cultural and legal inequalities in developing countries create obstacles that prevent women from starting and financing new businesses.This leaves them more vulnerable to poverty, forced labour and violence. Yet, women consistently show inspiring resilience and determination to find ways to break free from poverty. Many studies, and our own experiences, confirm that women with access to financial services can dramatically improve the quality of life for their families. In families where women have an income, they have a voice in financial decisions, resulting in better nutrition, health and education for children. When family needs are met, women are more likely to invest in their community. When women have the skills to participate in public life, government corruption declines. The gains that women achieve by accessing microfinance services are almost 3 times more likely to be reinvested in their children, providing a powerful generational multiplier that accelerates economic growth.

By Supporting this ride you will be supporting people to start, run and grow small business that will creates jobs for family and communities memebers so that our neighbors in the developing world can have dignity and purpose through personal achievment. The tool of microfinance transforms everyone involved!

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