Of Integrity and A Sense of Justice

Posted By Steve Sheppard on August 26, 2010

Genesis We’ve talked about the exploits of the Genesis Cooperative in Ciudad Sandino, outside of Managua.  It has been an inspirational journey to observe, and a privilege to accompany the women and men who have made this initiative come to life.  (You can read previous references to Genesis here, dated July 7 and June 21, 2010.)

The journey has not been an easy one, however, and there is now a new threat to the courage and perseverance of these would-be entrepreneurs.  The spinning equipment for which they have been awaiting delivery for months, is now stuck in Venezuela through no fault of Genesis.  Please read the following e-mail that Winds of Peace received today from our friends at Jubilee House, which has been assisting the women in their venture.

“Dear Friends,

We don’t usually do this, but we desperately need your help. We need you to send an email.

You are receiving this email because you receive our e-newsletter. We really need you to help us in this emergency regarding the work of the Jubilee House Community and the Center for Development in Central America, including the Genesis Spinning Cooperative.

As many of you know, the Genesis Cooperative has been working for more than 3 1/2 years without pay to build their yarn factory that will be part of the organic cotton supply chain for fair trade clothing. The Genesis co-op needs your help now. Here’s why:

Ten and a half months ago the Jubilee House Community contracted with Coker International, a used equipment company in Greenville, SC, to deliver the machinery needed for the Genesis spinning plant. Coker requested a $100,000 deposit in Oct. 2009 and in early Dec. 2009 another $50,000 because they claimed the disassembly of the equipment was “very close to being done” and expected to be ready to load the machinery in early January. Since then, we have spent every day calling and emailing with Coker, the plant in Venezuela and other contacts, trying everything we can think of to get this equipment moving.

Now, after months of delays and lies, we are being told by the original owners of the equipment, a company in Venezuela, that they have never been paid for the equipment and Coker will not provide us with receipts to prove otherwise. Two of the machines have been shipped but are being held by the shipping company for lack of payment by Coker of fines, fees, and damages incurred by Coker’s complete refusal to deal in a serious manner with this problem. All other machines, approximately 12 containers, will not ship because Coker hasn’t paid for the equipment. (For details on the equipment saga, see our blog on Genesis Equipment).

Please contact Jack Coker at Coker International and urge him to act with integrity and responsibility to resolve this situation immediately. This is our last effort to get Coker to respond and fulfill its obligation before we enter a long drawn out legal process that will inevitably lead to more hardship for the women of Genesis.

Below you will find a sample email (don’t forget to sign your name). Please send an email to Coker International at: jack.coker@cokerinternational.com, paula.yarborough@gmail.com, angel.magliano@gmail.com with a copy to us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org and forward this to your contacts.

You can also call to give the same message. Coker International: 864-335-5200, Jack Coker’s cell phone: 864-304-4161, Angel Magliano’s cell phone: 864-313-3133.

Thank you for all you do!

All of us at JHC & CDCA

Dear Mr. Coker,

As long-time supporters of the work of the Jubilee House Community in Nicaragua, we are appalled to learn of your unconscionable treatment of this non-profit organization and even more so of the hardworking women and men of the cooperatives they support. Please act with honesty and integrity to immediately fulfill your contractual obligations with the Jubilee House Community on behalf of these courageous women and men of the Genesis Spinning Cooperative by immediately delivering the agreed-upon spinning equipment to the JHC Nicaragua.

Thank you for doing the right thing.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]“

This is nothing less than a travesty of justice for people who have given everything they have- materially, socially, emotionally, physically- and face the demise of their dream in the shape of dishonesty.

There.  You have the circumstances and the opportunity to render some help. It is most deserved….

Learning to Partner, Partnering to Learn

Posted By Steve Sheppard on August 16, 2010

One of the many needs within Nicaragua is that of fighting against abuse, of helping the sexes- and men in particular- to understand the needs, rights and expectations of all members of the society.  Abuses of women, in particular, take all forms: physical, psychological, economic, and social in nature, and to an alarming degree. 

The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) report, published in September 2009, revealed that at least 25 of the 45 women killed in Nicaragua in the first half of 2009 were victims of domestic violence.  When she presented the outcome of the investigation, national police chief Aminta Granera stated that of the more than 65,000 women who reported that they had suffered some form of abuse, only 15,000 filed a formal complaint with the police. The women who pressed charges had suffered the worst abuse, including sexual assault, bodily injuries, mutilations and torture, Granera said. More specifically, 4,129 were cases of domestic violence, 2,253 were cases of sexual assault, and 8,645 were cases of physical and psychological harm, such as threats, blackmail and verbal abuse.  “The rest of the victims kept quiet. This shows that even though it is the leading public security problem (in Nicaragua), it is the least reported crime, and, therefore, the one with the greatest impunity,” Granera said.

In light of the reality, Winds of Peace has long maintained its support of women’s groups which seek to raise awareness of such problems and to help both women and men recognize the physical, emotional, family and economic costs related to such abuses.  One organization to receive WPF support is Foundation Sacuanjoche Women’s Group, located in and serving theCapacitaciones 163[1] department of Matagalpa.  The women who run this group are professional women whose mission is simple if difficult: promoting community development through health and social outreach, while defending the human rights of the family, especially of women and children.

Teaching women about their basic human rights is one thing; getting the menCapacitaciones 090[1] in their lives involved in the education process is quite another.  Yet this element is critical to the Sacuanjoche initiative.  We were pleased to receive an update about the progress being made in this regard and the pictures illustrating the significant participation of men in this education process in some very rural locations.  These are places where accessibility to education on topics like these has been very limited, at best.

One might think of educational efforts like this as good, worthwhile work that probably has its number of challenges.  And then I stop to think of what it must be like to arrange for seminars wherein the main participants are men and the primary presenters are women; where the transit to the classroom is often very long, very difficult and partially on foot; where the topic to be discussed is something in the men’s behavior which is unacceptable; where the behaviors being challenged have been largely acceptable in the culture for generations; and where the investment of the participants’ time is in conflict with earning a day’s income. 

In light of all these drawbacks, that men attend at all is a remarkable fact; the odds seem overwhelming.  But it’s critical work that needs doing and the Sacuanjoche Women’s Group  is making a difference in these rural lives.  You can hear it is the classroom discussions and see it in the faces of the “graduates…..”     

                          Certificates to me[1]

Preserving Native Seed

Posted By Steve Sheppard on August 9, 2010

I’ve been reading through the latest group of project proposals submitted to Winds of Peace for the next funding cycle.  And while each project contains its own character and nuances, there are oftentimes repetitive themes that emerge from the 30 or so proposals that we consider each year.  That’s not too surprising, given the relatively small size of the country and the fundamental nature of many of the issues there.  One such theme which has evolved over recent years has to do with preservation of native seed in Nicaragua, a practice of identifying, cultivating, planting and sharing agricultural seed which is indigenous to the country, well-suited to the climate, genetically untouched, available and capable of harvest for re-planting.  It’s not a unique idea; Decorah, Iowa is home to Seed Savers Exchange, whose mission and philosophies are remarkably similar to the rural Nicaraguans.

The native seed preservation is just one of many similar initiatives which focus upon “hanging on” to something that is perceived as natural, healthy, essential, important both past and present, environment and economy.  Albeit slowly, some cultures around the world have awakened to preservation of vanishing plant and animal species, forests, clean rivers and lakes, archaeological and architectural treasures, even our atmosphere.  This yearning for retention of certain elements of our world is not born of nostalgia, but of the growing awareness that the diversity which they represent is worth saving, or that some things in our past really were better than their modern counterparts.  For the rural farmers in Nicaragua, native seed is not simply a preference, but a need.

In our own country we take great pride in the return of the bald eagle from the brink of extinction.  We worry about the demise of the polar bear habitat.  We cheer at the birth of each new Panda bear, we stop major construction plans in deference to rare turtles or plants.  It’s as if we are slowly awakening to the awesome variety of life on earth and even if we don’t completely comprehend why it’s crucial to preserve such diversity, we somehow inherently know that it’s important. 

It’s an encouraging movement.  If only our country would have viewed the Native American populations in the same way, or that world governments would come to see their Indigenous populations as precious as native seeds….

                                                   How Many

"Is It OK for Me To Feel Happy?"

Posted By Steve Sheppard on July 26, 2010

SCS[1] I spoke the other day with someone who reads my blog entries with some regularity (which, I explained to her, is reason enough to question her judgment).  But she said that she enjoys reading the occasional news of Nicaragua and also the reflections that I make from having traveled there periodically.  She did offer one concern, however.  She observed that for every mention I  make about something positive or inspirational that’s happening with our partners, there might be two stories that are seemingly full of discouraging news, even bordering on despair.  And she asked the question, as if I could even possibly have the answer: “I just wonder, sometimes, whether it’s even OK to feel happy when all these difficulties go on in places like Nicaragua.”

Whether she really intended for me to offer a response or not, I wasn’t sure.  But I had one in mind, whether she wanted it or not.  It’s the response I’ve arrived at many times over the years to my own contemplation of the question.

Concepts of happiness or hunger or poverty are relative, of course.  One family’s wealth might well represent another family’s poverty; one family’s good fortune might be another family’s plight.  We’re all on a giant continuum, where everyone’s position is relative to everyone else’s position.  When I gaze up to the top of that continuum and wonder what it must be like for Bill Gates to have all that he has, someone else along that continuum is looking up at me, and asking the same question.    And our realities can change at any given moment in time. If circumstances suddenly line up just wrong, any of us might experience a very sudden shift of position along that continuum, our feelings shifting from happiness to hurt.  Simply reflect upon the changed circumstances of many people in the U.S. over the past several years to affirm such possible reverses of fortune. 

Since we are all on this continuum somewhere, of course it’s natural and healthy to feel happiness.  We take from our lives the good things that we find and celebrate them, both for the gratitude we feel and the recognition that things could be a whole lot worse!  We can readily see what it’s like for many others who are not so fortunate.  Every day contains elements for which we have cause for happiness, and we’re well-served when we take the time to look for them. 

What I suggested to my friend was that in the midst of our happiness, our celebrations, we not lose sight of another reality.  It’s that continuum I mentioned above.  It’s sort of like when I traveled to Budapest, Hungary some years ago.  I was delighted by my surroundings and the wonderful people I met.  But I recognized that my enjoyment would have been that much greater had my wife, Katie, been able to accompany me.  Likewise, during a stunning visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks earlier this summer, our amazement was only tempered by realization of how much our children would have enjoyed the experience had they accompanied us.  It’s not that we can’t feel happiness or contentment.  It’s that we recognize that there could be so much more. 

In whatever ways we are blessed, in whatever ways we feel affirmed and fortunate and healthy, we are never quite as happy as we could be “if only….”   If only the rest of the world was “in synch,” or fully present, or not so unhealthy, so needful, so much in despair, then we might experience even greater happiness or contentment ourselves.    Simply, it is not possible for any of us to reach our full well-being as long as others around us- both literally and figuratively- are absent, in distress or otherwise not well. 

So is it OK to feel happy about anything?  I say yes, and without hesitation.  But in the midst of my joy, it’s also OK to recognize the limitations on my happiness that stem from the people all around me.  How ironic that, in order for me to achieve maximum happiness in my own life, I must take into account the well-being of others….

Independence Day, 2010

Posted By Steve Sheppard on July 18, 2010

Like most U.S. citizens, I enjoyed the Fourth of July earlier this month, as a mid-summer landmark, a point to pause and reflect on the amazing good fortunes that we have in this country, to think about the sacrifices by so many people that have made our freedoms possible, and to remember July 4th family gatherings from years ago.  Even the persistent summer rains could not extinguish the warmth of such fond memories. 

Yet the truth of our living is that it continually spawns new insights and memories, the ones that I might recall in years to come.  And so it was on the Fourth of July this year that I thought about the phrase “Independence Day” and all that it conveys about freedom, our country, the world and our lives.  While the thoughts were not necessarily the relaxing kind that one might associate with a summer holiday, they nonetheless found sanctuary in my mind as I listened to and enjoyed the persistent rains on my roof.

Independence.  We celebrate first the independence won from England in the Revolutionary War.  Those early patriots recognized the life-smothering effects of tyranny and simply would not accept it; they acted on their own behalf, but on ours, as well.  We are fiercely proud of the independence that we have portrayed as the world’s bellwether of personal liberty.  We love the idea of being a nation which, blessed with every natural resource and the spirit to explore, has crafted the persona of being able to “go it alone,” to live within and for ourselves as we have needed.  We treasure the right to wake up in the morning and do whatever our whims might dictate within the laws of the land.  The ability to be free from influences outside of ourselves is a heady gift which few people in history have known, and for that we feel both pride and gratitude on this summer day each year.  Our independence and freedom are concepts that have become so revered that we invoke them whenever we need a ready endorsement for a national action: if it’s in the name of independence and freedom, it must be good.  And we say that we believe all the world should have this same, freeing independence, that it might even be our destiny to spread it.

But during an afternoon walk in the rain, I thought about the nature of freedom, and especially as it pertains to people in other places, other cultures, with other histories.  If freedom is real- and not simply a refrain used by governments- then by definition people living in freedom cannot be told how to live by anyone else, the U.S. included.  By whatever means they may have at their cultural disposal, such people must chart their own ways.  As soon as any outside entity prescribes changes to the way those people live, the idea of freedom falls away.  It’s ironic, but to impose freedoms on any society but our own constitutes a loss of freedom for that society.  Free to choose means just that: free to choose freedom or not.

The counter to this conundrum is obvious, of course: if a society is not free to choose, then they have no opportunity to embrace freedom.  So how can a captive population even consider what freedom might look like unless it is somehow forced upon them from the outside, which by definition is not freedom?  The answer may be that he cultivation of freedom is something which is only truly achieved from inside, even when the environment for growing may be hostile.

I was thankful for the rain to cool down these heated arguments in my head!  But in the end I concluded that freedom is like mercury: it is a wonderful element, difficult to grasp, and potentially dangerous in the way it is spread….

Genesis or End?

Posted By Steve Sheppard on July 7, 2010

If you’ve visited the Winds of Peace website in the past and/or read from my observations in this blog, you are familiar with the Genesis Cooperative in Ciudad Sandino.  With help and guidance from the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA), this largely women’s cooperative has emerged from a mere dream to the threshold of viability in the form of an organic cotton spinning plant.  They have built an incredible facility by hand (see June 21 entry here), they have weathered the vagaries of Nicaraguan law in achieving their registration, they’ve even withstood the claims of unscrupulous neighbors who have tried to illegally wrest the ownership of the property for themselves.  If ever there was an organization that deserved and earned a break, it is Genesis.

But sometimes even the most persistent and patient reach a breaking point, and that could be on the horizon for these inspirational people.  The spinning equipment, which is to be shipped from Venezuela, has continued to run into delays and pitfalls, none of which are of the coop’s making.  First there was a problem with the size of the containers that the equipment broker provided.  That generated the need for more funds.  Then the Venezuelan government ran into port inspection problems and instituted national guard inspections, which backlogged all port traffic.  Now the equipment broker could be headed for bankruptcy, further complicating the equipment flow.  In short, equipment which was scheduled for installation last December is still awaiting transport to Nicaragua. 

And behind it all, the women wait.  Without opportunity to earn money but with their very lives invested in their cooperative venture, the women and their families have waited out the process for about as long as they can.  But children need to be fed.  So do adults.  Basic needs still cost money, even when you’re engaged in a noble undertaking.  And the women draw ever closer to the break point, when they will be forced to give up on their dream and seek work and income elsewhere, just to survive.

CDCA has put out a call for “bridge assistance” for these entrepreneurs who are desperately trying to transform their dreams, toils and commitments into a meaningful, long-term business created by and for themselves.  Funding for some very minimal, basic food needs are being sought for the coop members until such time as the equipment is installed and operational. 

Winds of Peace intends to help.  And while it is not our practice to tout giving opportunities, I can provide more information to you or you can visit www.jhc-cdca.org if you have interest.   At the very least, remember the tenuous tightrope these women are walking in their efforts to make their own way.  They have a lot at risk, including their very selves….

Take A Look Around

Posted By Steve Sheppard on June 29, 2010

It’s time to draw attention to our updated website!  We don’t get to spend a great deal of time moving things around and adding new materials to the site, so when we do we want to make sure that our  occasional visitors are aware of the changes.  We’ve added new photos, profiles of partners, reorganized the blog site, added new categories and tags for blog articles, and added some links.  Toward what end?

Websites are designed to do all kinds of things: some are supposed to entice you to buy products.  Some are created to disseminate information in an attempt to sway your thinking.  Some are outlets for outrageous expressions of opinion.  Winds of Peace Foundation is not aspiring to any of those objectives.  We try to provide a glimpse of the Foundation’s work and perspectives in Nicaragua, a country that is very close to the U.S. geographically, and one which has experienced more than its share of troubles, whether caused by nature, politics, economics, its neighbors or social factors.  It’s a beautiful country, inhabited by a people who are persevering and humble by nature, and who withstand the difficult distinction of living in the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  It’s a place that deserved our attention.

Our pictures cannot capture the grandeur of the land.  Pictures almost never do, but we hope to provide at least a glimpse of life there.  Our reflections cannot encompass the essence of the people.  Essays almost never do, but we hope to provide some stories to mirror the realities of Nicaraguan life.  Our initiatives cannot solve the complex issues which confront the people there.  Accompaniment almost never does, but we hope to be an influence and make a difference in some lives there to the best of our resources.

So renew your familiarity with our site.  Gather the sense of Nicaragua, of our neighbors, of their circumstances, of our relationships, and in the process, if we’re lucky you might just gain an insight on yourself….

The Agony of Genesis

Posted By Steve Sheppard on June 21, 2010

I have referenced many times our work with the fledgling spinning cooperative called Genesis.  It started from the ground up with tenacity and determination as its primary assets.  The original eight founders attracted additional members over time, both women and men, and commenced with the most impressive building project I have ever known.  (See my entry here from February 4, 2010.)  We have watched and waited as the coop awaits the shipment and installation of their spinning equipment, a feat yet to happen.  The delays have been agonizing for the people who have worked on this project with almost no income, only the prospect of one day having their own business.

Genesis has been accompanied and assisted in their endeavor by the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA).  CDCA has provided loans, assistance, administrative help and emotional support to those members who have been able to hang on to this point; many have had to leave in order to find employment or income from whatever source they might.  But I received a newsletter from CDCA the other day that wrenches the heart.  Here’s a portion of that report:

Obtaining the spinning plant machinery has been a nightmare….  Lies have been told to us regarding shipping dates time and time again.  Hopes have been dashed time and time again….  Petrona talks about her husband who died never getting to see this dream become reality, while Chilo hopes to see the reality before she dies… she has been diagnosed with cancer.  They have worked…worked…three and a half years with no pay trying to make this dream a reality…these are not people whose spouses have jobs to support the family…these are really poor, poor people.

Many women dropped out in that first year.  A few more over the next two years.  The ones remaining kept the hope and the vision.  Now much has boiled down to just tenacity.

These members of Genesis are the most tenacious people I have ever known.  They soak up learning even though for some it is a real struggle…they just soak it up.  They keep coming day after day doing labor that is back-breaking to build their building…the oldest woman is in her sixties and one of the men is lame…and yet they struggle on…and on…and on….

Their strength is humbling.  Their willingness to learn is inspiring.  But it is their tenacity…their sheer will…that can take your breath away.  They are amazing examples of [the Star Wars character] Yoda’s saying, “Do or not do, there is no try.”

If ever there were people who deserved a chance to bring their dream to reality, these are the ones.  The rest of us are mere beginners when compared to the perseverance of these Nicaraguans….

Real Life

Posted By Steve Sheppard on May 24, 2010

Nica 4-10 002 While in Nicaragua several weeks ago, I had many opportunities to hear from rural Nicaraguans about their current economic circumstances in light of the global crisis.  Naturally, most of the news was bad, compounded by an unusually harsh drought which hit the country last year.  In light of the early rains which had begun to fall, hopes were high that this year’s rainy season would choose to be rainy.  I heard many stories about scarcity of food, non-existent crops, real hunger and growing uneasiness about the future.  This is a telling message, given the already-impossible conditions in which many of these people live.  Once again, and as I have observed here many times before, I was moved by the resolve and resourcefulness of these rural Nicaraguans to survive in the face of relentlessly traumatic conditions.

LigiaOne afternoon I was engaged in conversation with my Nicaraguan colleague, talking about U.S. reactions to the economic crisis and the circumstances in which U.S. citizens found themselves.  I related the difficult unemployment conditions and the struggles faced by many in the wake of losing a job.  I mentioned what I saw as a continuing crisis in confidence being experienced by people in the face of  increasingly contentious party politics.  I talked about linkages to other countries and how their experiences definitely impacted our own.  And then she affirmed an eerie feeling that I have had for some months now.

She told me that her son was living and working in the U.S. and experiencing the global economic meltdown in a very different way than that being felt in Nicaragua.  In frequent Nica 4-10 036communications between the two, her son observed on more than one occasion that many U.S. citizens seemed to be almost dormant in their reactions, as if waiting for the economic cloud to lift or for the government to enact some quick fix for relief.  In his view, it was as if some person or some entity bore responsibility for the conditions and once the culprit was identified, relief would soon follow.  After a brief pause in our exchange, my colleague said that according to her son’s perceptions, many in the U.S. don’t seem to know what to do.  Most people don’t know how to grow food or save it.  She mused that, strange as it may seem,  when a calamity occurs, Nicaraguans might be better prepared than those in the north. After all, too often it’s been a way of life in Nicaragua .

This observation made for the second time the notion has surfaced.  I made much the same observation at this site back on February 17, 2009 in a piece I called “The Further We Fall.” Only this time, the recognition came from a more experienced, reliable source, from someone who has truly lived in both realities.

I still find myself asking the question, especially in the face of tumultuous times, “Who’s learning from whom in all of this?”

Motives

Posted By Steve Sheppard on May 15, 2010

I recently had the opportunity to review a soon-to-be-published research project undertaken by Grantmakers Without Borders (GWOB), a terrific association of funding organizations whose focus is beyond the borders of the United States.  The purpose of the research was to examine the impact of microlending within poor countries, and whether this highly-touted initiative has really brought about the kind of positive change which its proponents suggest.  The paper is a good and balanced piece, and should be required reading for any funding organization contemplating or already conducting microlending practices abroad.  Watch for it.

The research finds, perhaps not surprisingly, that microlending is not the perfect tool for eliminating global poverty, despite its many virtues and successes.  While it has developed a momentum and a transformational impact where implemented successfully, it has also on occasion created unprecedented indebtedness and divisions within communities and families.  Initially, I found myself perplexed at this second type of outcome, not having experienced that phenomenon in our own work.

It turns out that the celebrity status of microlending has captured the attention of not only those who seek to assist impoverished people, but also those who see it purely as a means of access to an untapped credit market.  In other words, for some lending groups, microloans are just another way for the coyotes, the sharks, to circle their prey.
Sam Daley-Harris, Director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, captures the essence of these profiteers perfectly in a recent presentation.
“This should have been warning of what was to come when microfinance institutions began to run more like commercial banks and what that might do to the soul of microfinance….
“I am fortunate to have been one of the leading advocates for microfinance over the last 25 years. We have been so successful in our advocacy that the field is out of control and now the profit-maximizers, those who want to make big money from the poor are rushing in. This leads me from the poverty and purpose part of my talk to the pitfalls and redemption portion.
“What are the problems that have become pitfalls? There are profit maximizers who charge the poor 85% interest, 100% interest, or more. As Prof. Yunus says, we started microcredit to free people from the money-lenders, not to become the new money lenders.
“I now see that the spiritual dimension of microfinance, the redemptive dimension of microfinance is central to my vision for the field. The technical issues are important, but only if they serve the transformational dimension.”
The findings in the GWOB study shouldn’t be a surprise or perplexing at all.  The essence of the microlending idea is that it is a tool for helping poor people raise themselves from poverty.  It’s not designed as a tool for financial institutions to use in tapping a new market and making a lot of money.  That practice will inevitably create real problems for both the borrower and the lender.
It seems to me as though a good share of the research and conclusions (or at least doubts) about the effectiveness of microlending revolves around MFIs that are in the business of lending. These organizations are quite different from the microlending institutions that exist for the purpose of true development. In essence, it is difficult to effectively address the efficacy of microlending conceptually when both types of funders are considered together; a more effective assessment has to look at the two forms separately since they are so fundamentally different. I am not surprised to read about predatory practices on the part of “Financial-System” lenders, but would be surprised and disappointed to learn of such behaviors coming from a “Poverty-Lending” organization.
At the Microcredit Summit several years ago, I could feel the difference in both intention and tone when the people from Barclays Bank talked about entering the microlending arena “to serve a vast, untapped market.” Those words signaled the contamination that would occur within the microfinance community moving forward. It seems as though any good idea can and will eventually become abused in the name of profits….