Last week in Costa Rica, I visited with some women entrepreneurs who are receiving microloans from the Whole Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization of Whole Foods.
I have written about the Whole Planet Foundation before and the amazing job that it is doing around the world but meeting the loan recipients in-person gave me a much greater appreciation for the impact that this program is having.
Women entrepreneurs from impoverished communities receive loans, starting at a few hundred dollars, to start businesses – baking, sewing, buying animals, running a small store, etc. With a 98% success rate (only 2% of the loans default), this incremental revenue plays an essential role in improving the well-being and welfare of thousands of families.
In conjunction with Grameen, the local partner in Costa Rica, the Whole Planet Foundation is giving hard-working, honest and responsible women access to capital that they never had before, and as a result, lives are being completely transformed.
Needless to say, I was very touched by what I saw and walked away an even bigger fan of the Whole Planet Foundation. Awesome work!
