Brian Keen, Founder

It’s inspiring to be celebrating our fourth birthday here at MicroLoan Foundation Australia, and blowing out the candles leaves me near to breathless – and unashamedly I feel a tear rolling down my cheek!

Pausing briefly to reflect on our past achievements and consider our future initiatives I am simply amazed.

Emerging from a simple ‘dream’ less than five years ago, by 31st of December 2012 we placed 7920 loans to a value of A$539,406 and it is frankly mind-blowing. Recognising that this has had beneficial impact on over 20,000 dependents clearly illustrates the huge impact relatively small contributions can make.

I say this because since May 2009, when our Mulanje office first opened for business, to December 2012, we raised around A$90,000. In our circumstances, as a fledgling charity without access to tax deductibility in the early stages, this scale of fundraising is quite an achievement. Especially when you think of the large number of loans this $90,000 has generated – in fact our average loan fund loans over the last four a half years has been ‘recycled’ nine times, affecting 20,000 dependents. This truly is the ‘hidden secret’ behind well-targeted, efficient and effectively managed social micro-finance.

For this achievement MicroLoan Foundation Australia has a long list of people to thank.

• Our donors of course, without whom we could not provide the assistance we do. None can be singled out but I specially mention our regular monthly donors as well as acknowledging our gratitude to the individuals and organisations that have sought us out to benefit from their fundraising endeavours
• Our small but loyal group of Australian board members and volunteers, each sacrificing their invaluable time to provide a few hours of assistance here and there
• Our CEO and ‘driver’ for the past three years, Clive Hughes
• Peter Ryan, the founder and CEO of Microloan Foundation in the UK, together with his small hard-working team
• Our generous Australian patron Simon Tedeschi and his colleague Kevin Hunt
• The wonderful team of Malawian staff who exclusively manage the program for our Mulanje office
• And last but by no means the least, the wonderful women who use these loans to illustrate to us the amazing entrepreneurial initiative and energy inherent in the women in these resilient, poor, undernourished regions unfortunately so prevalent in sub-Sahara Africa –  you inspire us all!

Finally, I’d like to let you know, that at Microloan Foundation we have reached a tipping point. It is significant and exciting for us to appoint our first paid team member, Kirsten Shearn as part-time Fund Raising and Marketing Manager.

We are privileged to have services of Kirsten who brings wonderful experience and impressive energy to the team. Kirsten in her first month on board has already developed a bold fund raising program focused on attracting major donors and is leading our first group from Australia to visit Malawi in October this year.

I’m privileged to have the opportunity to be involved. Thank you!

Clive Hughes

There was something quite succinct and moving about the report of my visit to Malawi in 2009 that I thought it worth inviting you to read it again:

Our First Office is Open!

The sentiments noted then, still apply today. I hope you enjoy it.

Post Script
Since 2009, we raised our $90,000 funding target in December 2012. MicroLoan Malawi delivered close to 8,000 loans worth more than A$ half a million in the 3.5 year period to December 2012, affecting the lives of over 20,000 people. Less than A$500 has been written off as bad debts – or in other words 99.9% of all loans were repaid in full – which isn’t bad for some of the poorest people in the world.

It is worth noting that over the last 4 years, in Australia funds have been raised by  the efforts of: two international pianists; more than a hundred painters and sculptors;  a pair of retired brothers who climbed the highest mountain in Africa; as well as the combined efforts of many volunteers and of course a multiplicity of donors, who gave freely of their own money. We thank you all for your efforts.

Today, our first paid staff member who is making great strives for us in WA, and in NSW we will shortly be presenting to the NSW Department of Studies to see if we can introduce the concept of micro credit and the MicroLoan Foundation to high school students in this state.

Liz Keen

I was born in Malawi, so was my grandfather and mum. I left when I was a baby but I always wanted to get back there. In 1994 I travelled through East Africa and when I arrived at the Malawi/Tanzania border and the man said welcome home, I cried. I am so happy that I can be involved in the fantastic work that MicroLoan Foundation is doing to help the women of Malawi. Women who are working so hard to survive droughts, disease and extreme poverty.

Chris McArdle

I hope that no member of my family ever finds themselves in a cycle of poverty. You suffer from it, and can do nothing to get out of it.

If I, or any member of my community could contribute just a small amount that makes a difference to help people out of that cycle, and failed to do it, then I think we would be “looking the other way” when we shouldn’t be.

I hope, by being part of MLF Australia, I have stopped myself “looking the other way”.

…and finally a few words from the founder of Microloan Foundation in the UK, Peter Ryan:

Well done Australia! You have done some outstanding of work over the past four years. Starting from scratch is no mean task and your commitment and professionalism is to be admired. You are changing the lives of 000’s of women in Africa, and what s great is that you have all willingly given your time for free.

All of us in London are so proud with what you have achieved. We are confident that you will encourage your Australian friends to do much more in the future.

With all best wishes.

Kirsten’s passion is making a difference to people’s life in whatever direction is meaningful for them. Having the opportunity to work alongside MLF to better the livliehoods of women in sub-saharan Africa is a dream come true and she hopes to fundraise enough over the next two years to build a new office and start up loan capital.

Kirsten will be taking a trip of women to visit the Mulanje office in Malawi this October and would love for you to join her. Please contact Kirsten@theinspirationfactory.com.au if you would like further information.

Download the brochure

Today Microloan Foundation Australia (MLFA) celebrates four years since it opened its first branch in Mulanje in Malawi, and $539,406 lent out over that period as microloans to 3,642 borrowers.

Emerging from a simple ‘dream’ less than five years ago, by 31st December 2012 MLFA had placed a total of 7,920 loans to a value of $539,406 to 3,642 borrowers. Over 20,000 dependents of the women who have received the microloans have also benefited, clearly illustrating the huge impact relatively small contributions can make. MLFA founder Brian Keen, who had that dream, reflects on the last four years:

“It’s inspiring to be celebrating our fourth birthday here at MicroLoan Foundation Australia, and blowing out the candles leaves me near to breathless – and unashamedly I feel a tear rolling down my cheek!

From May 2009, when our Mulanje office first opened for business, to December 2012, we raised around $90,000. In our circumstances, as a fledgling charity without access to tax deductibility in the early stages, this scale of fundraising was quite an achievement.

Especially when you think of the large number of loans this $90,000 has generated – in fact our average loan fund loans over the last four and half years have been ‘recycled’ nine times, helping our clients and 20,000 of their dependents. This truly is the ‘hidden secret’ behind well targeted, efficient and effectively managed social microfinance.”

“We could not have done this without the help and support of our donors, especially our regular monthly donors, our small but loyal team of board members and volunteers, our CEO and driver of the past three years, Clive Hughes, Peter Ryan, the founder and CEO of Microloan Foundation in the UK, together with his small hard working team, our generous Australian patron Simon Tedeschi and his colleague Kevin Hunt and the wonderful team of Malawian staff who exclusively manage the program for our Mulanje office.

And last but by no means the least, the wonderful women who use these loans to illustrate to us the amazing entrepreneurial initiative and energy inherent in the women in these resilient, poor, undernourished regions unfortunately so prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa – you inspire us all!”

MLFA has also appointed its first paid team member, Kirsten Shearn as part time Fund Raising and Marketing Manager. Kirsten, who is based in Western Australia, brings wonderful experience and impressive energy to the team. In her first month on board she has already developed a new fund raising program focused on attracting major donors, and is leading our first group from Australia to visit Malawi in October this year.

Image credit: http://www.freefoto.com/preview/90-20-23/Four-Advent-Candles

Stuart raised $840 for MicroLoan Foundation, for which we are incredibly grateful. The money raised is now helping 10 (or more) women get small loans and business training that will help them lift themselves out of poverty.

Thank you Stuart!

Well the brothers from Melbourne and Mudgee conquered the highest peak in Africa and here’s the proof!

MicroLoan wishes to thank them, and all their generous sponsors for their efforts. More than $8,000 has been raised which is equivalent to more than 100 new loans which affect the lives of more than 500 people. Thx guys.

This is what Peter had to say of the experience:

“Well, we are back home after completing our challenge viz. making it to the summit.   This is the toughest thing I have ever done in my life – both a massive physical and mental challenge!

We had a fantastic company in Team Kilimanjaro to get us to the top and back -  a most professional group of guides and porters, and if there were three other things critical to making it to the top,  they were acclimatization climbs most days (climb high, sleep low), eating more food than we thought we needed, and drinking a minimum of 3 litres of water per day. For us this pretty much kept altitude sickness at bay.

It was pretty amazing on one day to see the snow-capped peak of Mount Kenya, at a distance of 325km from where we were on the side of Kilimanjaro!”

Mount Kilimanjaro

MLF is hugely grateful to Max and Peter Elliot who are climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise funds for us. They have just departed on their trip, and we thought we would let Peter explain in his own words why they are doing it and why they are raising funds for MicroLoan Foundation. If you would like to sponsor their terrific effort, let us know and we will put you in contact. Thx Peter and Max.

“When my brother Max  asked me if I was interested in joining him on his long dreamed of attempt at summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, I was hesitant for a millisecond. With one day to go before we depart Australia, I am nervously feeling that I should have thought about it for a bit longer!

I read articles that state that only a little over 40% of all trekkers actually make it to the summit – then I read articles about blind people and 87 year olds making it to the top, and think that artificial hips (Max aged 69) , and stents (me aged 67) should not be an excuse!

Peter Elliot

Max Elliot

The real challenge is the unknown of how we handle the altitude, and it’s a bit hard to train at altitude in Australia ( Kosciuszko our tallest mountain is 7310 feet, as against Kilimanjaro at 19341feet)! 

Why did we choose the Microloan Foundation?

Indeed, why did we decide to obtain sponsorship in the first instance?

It seemed to me that it was a bit of an indulgence, particularly for me as it was very much an out of the blue decision.

So I thought why not try and use it for a good cause in sub-Saharan Africa. It was a matter of then choosing a charity, and the short list was based on empowerment of women (and through this, enhanced education etc opportunities for children), and also working with a smaller charity. Along with quite a few other charities I investigated, the Microloan Foundation seemed to fit the bill very well.

We depart on 17th January and  have sponsorship pledges in the vicinity of $9,000 and very much hope we can turn this in to real funding for the work of the Microloan Foundation”  Peter Elliot 16th Jan 2013

• 
   International Monetary Fund Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, dances with members of MicroLoan Foundation at Kasengere village in the suburb of Malawi’s capital Lilongwe, on January 5, 2013. 

Article: Courtesy of AFP.

Simon & Kevin play Stuart pianos at MLFA fundraiser 2012

Well those maestros of the keyboards, messrs Tedeschi and Hunt, proved, yet again, that Coldplay aren’t the only ones who can captivate a Sydney audience.

Debussy, Ravel, Duke Ellington and Gershwin never sounded better, and Simon and Kevin’s joyful interaction with each other and the audience, made the evening even more special.

The Stuart Pianos dominated the stage and it looked at times like our pianists were driving huge chariots! With an extra 14 piano keys at his disposal Simon became a little ‘discombobulated’ (as he called it) when he got a little lost in the vast geography of the keyboard (not that this writer seemed to notice as his playing remained flawless).

Kevin of course adored these wonderful Australian built pianos and was in his element all night.

And “Rhapsody in Blue” played by these two great musicians on these two great pianos in this great theatre was worth the entrance fee alone. For the third year in a row everyone I spoke to said what a magical night it was.

And it was magical for some sixty families in Malawi, who will now be able to borrow money to set up their own businesses and get professional training in how best to operate their own micro businesses.

We are pleased to announce that after the costs of theatre hire etc we managed to raise more than $5,000 on the night, and by subsequent donations received by concert attendees who felt so strongly about the micro loan concept that they made additional donations after the concert (one single donation was for $500!).

So a big thank you to Simon, Kevin and the Independent Theatre for their support and our wonderful volunteers Paula and Kamaia. Thx Clive Hughes.

PS

A few weeks ago, ABC Classics filmed a featurette to celebrate the release of Gershwin and Me. Their commission was simple: to record something short and punchy. Here’s the YouTube video:

Gershwin and Me is also on iTunes.

Simon has just released his much anticipated “Gershwin and me” album (http://shop.abc.net.au/products/tedeschi-s-gershwin-and-me-cd), which should feature at our concert next Friday. Simon and Kevin’s version of “Rhapsody in Blue” is worth coming to on its own.

Classical and jazz music have never sounded so good. And they will be playing two Stuart & Sons grand pianos which were recently included in a list of great Australian innovations.

Why? Because Wayne Stuart has added up to fourteen extra keys to give a greater range for the musician to use, there is an extra pedal to allow greater freedom of expression, and a revised sound board which results in sustained notes remaining far clearer than previously possible. And they look beautiful.

MicroLoan UK is ten years old this year – and the Foundation worldwide has provided more than 110,000 loans to date – which has helped more than half a million people – the equivalent of the entire population of Canberra and Newcastle. Not a bad number to allow the poor to help themselves out of poverty.

None of this would be possible without the donation of funds through fundraisers like this.

So – great pianists, great music, great pianos, great venue and a great cause! And all this for just $38 per ticket.

Bookings through:

http://theindependent.org.au/ticket_store/sa_performance/100563793

or over the phone on 1300 302604. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Microloan Foundation.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia