Microfinance Initiatives
Grain Grinder
The village of Pure does not have a grain grinder. Women still manually grind their grain into flour using grinding stones or mortar and pestle, not much different than our ancestors did during the Stone Age. This is incredibly time consuming and an inefficient use of time and energy. The village does not have the capital to purchase a grinder, nor do they have the collateral required by a bank to provide them a high interest loan. Rather than have a grinder given to them, Chief Agrey, the village chief, requests a loan as he is confident that the revenues generated by the grinder will be sufficient to repay the loan over a two year period.
Pure Joy intends to provide a three year personal loan to Chief Agrey at a 1% interest rate. We will commit to recycling the loan payments back into the village for loans on future projects. The cost for a grain grinder is approximately $3,000 USD, Pure Joy is soliciting individual donations to support this initiative.
Agriculture
The people of Pure are subsistence farmers, meaning they grow enough food to feed themselves and their families. The county of Kajo Keji is very fertile and can serve as the breadbasket for the entire country. Now that the region has peace and stability, local markets can develop and grow.
As part of our efforts with the school, Pure Joy intends to provide loans of seed to local farmers. Repayment of the loans will be in seed, which will then be loaned to additional farmers. The seed used will be for the specific beans and grain that the UN purchases as part of their World Food Program. The local farmers can sell their excess crops to the UN who will in turn provide it to the students at the school, along with other relief programs throughout South Sudan. If the World Food Program does not provide for the school, repayments of loans will include providing food to the school. Pure Joy is soliciting individual donations to support this initiative.
Solar Lights
As part of our efforts to develop a self-sustaining school, Pure Joy intends to provide a revolving loan to a new business venture that will sell solar lights to the community. Profits from the business will be split between the entrepreneur and the school, which will be used to fund school supplies, textbooks and other expenses of the school.
In conjuction with our Support a Senior program, we intend to donate additional lights to this venture which will be given to needy seniors within the community who cannot afford to purchase a light. It is envisioned that 10% of the lights provided to the venture will be donated to seniors chosen by a committee of the chief and elders within the community.
The revolving loan will be $1,000 and an additional $100 worth of lights will be donated for each lot of 100 lights purchased. Pure Joy is soliciting individual donations to support this initiative.