When Ladysmith and area residents think of Rotary they may first think of local landmarks like Ladysmith Golf Course or Rotary’s signature events such the annual golf tournament or the garden tour. It may come as a surprise to many Ladysmith Rotary is making a significant difference in lesser developed countries through micro-loans as well?
Micro-loans are loans made in small increments to self employed persons so that they can start or expand their businesses. In the case of Ladysmith Rotary, we fund these loans to budding entrepreneurs in countries such as Guatemala and Honduras. Over the last 10 years 1195 (!!!!) of these loans have been made due to Ladysmith Rotary.
The lending is done through a third-party (Kiva) And they simply rollover these loans so their impact is multiplied dramatically: