Get Involved With Microfinance in Guatemala

Although our primary goal with On The Road Travel is to make independent travel more accessible to the world, we also aim to support and promote local entrepreneurs. Our travels have taught us that the best experiences are when we can get involved with the locals and get to know their cultures. Locally run tours and establishments offer a uniqueness that you can't find with larger, internationally run organizations and we do our best to promote these local entrepreneurs in the countries we cover.

My friend Dorion visited Guatemala over the holidays and spent time with one of our recommended tour providers: As Green As It Gets. He was so impressed that he has decided to help them fundraise in order to raise money on behalf of the independent coffee farmers working with As Green As It Gets. Here's how it works (as written by Dorion):

While the country is so amazing, the level of poverty is truly staggering. In fact, it is some of the worst in the developing world. I’ve been to Guatemala twice now, and every time I return from a trip, I wish there was something I could do to get involved. This time, I found it -- but I need your help.

While I was in Guatemala, I had a chance to spend some time with the head of As Green as it Gets, a development organization helping independent coffee farmers and producers. As Green as it Gets has had much recent success, enabling coffee farmers to process their own coffee instead of selling the whole fruit to a large farm who makes all the profit.

One of the ways in which they do this is by raising loan financing on behalf of the farmers. The organization also helps the farmers sell their coffee directly to the US market.  This type of work makes a huge impact in the lives of the farmers -- increasing their income (by over 1000%) and providing means to elevate their families from poverty.

This week, I'm hoping to raise $5,000 in loans on behalf of independent coffee farmers working with As Green as it Gets. I'm hoping that you can pitch in with a loan of $125 or more. Personally, I will be putting in $500 to get things going.

These loans will give the farmers the money they need to buy equipment, and to process and export their coffee in order to maximize their potential profit from this years harvest.

It is this kind of support for entrepreneurs that makes success stories in the developing world – much like what you've heard about Grameen bank and
micro-lending -- a small amount of money by our standards can go a long way to help a small business owner.

Here's how the loan will work....
Loans are in blocks of $125 USD. 100% of the money goes directly to the coffee farmers. After 13 months, you get a 1 pound coffee bag as your interest payment (excellent coffee that would retail for about $15 per pound in the US). This coffee will be picked and roasted by farmers using the money you lend. At the end of a 13 month period, you can elect to:
1. Get the $125 repaid
2. Rollover the $125 into a loan for another year (at the end of the next 13 months you will get another pound of coffee), or
3. Donate the $125 to the organization and receive a 501(c)(3) tax receipt.

If you are interested in getting involved in with microfinance and supporting this worthy project, please contact Dorion directly.