Lend for Peace dot Org

LendforPeace.org is a not-for-profit Internet platform that allows individuals like you to make small loans to specific micro-entrepreneurs in the Palestinian Territories.

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Created: Sep 01, 2009

Updated: Sep 16, 2009

Membership: Open

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LendforPeace.org

http://www.lendforpeace.org/index.php


“You and I could become bankers to people…
they have their own ideas, so we can give them a chance to raise their kids with dignity,
send their kids to school, and in troubled places, we marginally increase the chance that peace
can prevail because people will see there is a positive alternative to conflict.” 

-Former President Bill Clinton

 

 

 

Peace and Microfinance

Since the day in 1976 when Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus pioneered microlending, microfinance has proven to be an efficient and sustainable weapon against poverty. Results have shown that giving individuals the tools and resources to succeed on their own can produce a better outcome than a traditional aid package.

At LendforPeace.org we aim to tie the power of microfinance to the notion that economic stability is a necessary component of a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Without the opportunity to earn enough to feed one's children, a person is desperate for a source of hope and dignity. We created LendforPeace.org with the goal of giving Palestinians the opportunity to provide for their family and add positively to their community and to the political process. We believe that economic growth leads to increased political stability and therefore believe that addressing the issue of individual economic self-sufficiency means addressing a fundamental driver of conflict.  We also believe, however, that there is inherent good to be done by facilitating the improved standard of living and sense of hope that our entrepreneurs experience.

LendforPeace.org brings together people of all faiths and backgrounds to do something constructive. It humanizes both sides of the conflict and affords users of the site from all around the world an opportunity to gain a more personal view of the Palestinian experience. LendforPeace.org will go a long way in contributing towards the healing process of Palestinians when they learn that LendforPeace.org was founded by and is funded by Jews as well as Palestinians working together. Lastly, by helping Palestinians create a self-sufficient society, it will improve the probability of success of any future peace accord and of Palestinians and Jews co-existing in peace.

While there are many contentious issues in this region of the world, we can all agree that there is no winner in poverty.  By encouraging economic opportunity and hope through microfinance, LendforPeace.org seeks to foster stability and peace in the Middle East.


We started LendforPeace.org because we were frustrated.

 

We were frustrated by the lack of constructive options available to people like us who are deeply affected by the conflict in Israel and the Palestinian Territories and who wanted to make a difference.  We witnessed a complex political process that was inaccessible to the average citizen and that attempted to simultaneously address a variety of historical and socio-economic grievances. We didn’t know how to solve the political differences, but it was our fundamental belief that citizens of economically stable regions are more inclined to contribute positively to their family and community. We realized that while we could not take on the conflict in its entirety, we could work to alleviate one particular impediment to its resolution: the lack of economic opportunity in the Palestinian territories and the hopelessness this breeds.
With a founding team of two Jews and two Palestinians, LendforPeace.org was created to empower individuals of any political, ethnic or religious background to make a tangible and unequivocally positive difference. There are many things about which we disagree but despite our differences, we recognize that there is no winner in poverty. We believe that there will be no peace if there is not a sustainable improvement in the Palestinian standard of living and we believe that microfinance holds the promise to contribute to this change. It is this belief that has driven us to work together, as Israelis and Palestinians, as Jews, Muslims and Christians, to make a small but worthwhile contribution to the land that we all love.

We hope that you will join us.  Please consider making a loan today.

Sincerely,
 
Allam, Andrew, David and Sam

                                   

 

What is LendforPeace.org?

Using our site, you can make a loan directly to a vetted micro-entrepreneur in the West Bank.  We work with US government-approved microfinance institutions on the ground to deliver your capital along with training and guidance to low-income individuals who are interested in starting or expanding their own small businesses.  Your loan is repaid over a set period of time as your micro-entrepreneur builds economic self-sufficiency and a stake in peace.

 

Founded by two Jews and two Palestinians, LendforPeace.org ("LFP") was created to enable people of all faiths and backgrounds to make a tangible difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  To learn more about our mission, read a Message from the Founders or become a part of the story and Lend Now.

 

LendforPeace.org is supported by grants from the Clinton Global Initiative, Ashoka Youth Venture, Davis Projects for Peace and users like you.

 

          

 

Qamar Abu Roob is a 31-year-old Palestinian woman who lives in the West Bank village of Jalboun with her husband and two toddlers. Qamar only completed secondary school, but she h... More Info

          

 

Hana Isbeih is a 33-year-old Palestinian woman who lives with her husband and two sons in a small West Bank village called Kufr Ra’ee. Her sons are young, but close in age: one ... More Info

            

 

This chicken farm was established by her husband in 2000 and she works with her husband on the farm. They need the loan to buy new chics and medicine in addition to the requirment ... More Info

          

 

Asmihan Salameh Abdel Hameed Farukh is a 48 year old Palestinian mother of 6. Her eldest child is 32 years old and her youngest is 16 years old. She is adamant about putting all o... More Info

 

            

 

Rasmia Showamra is a 48-year-old Palestinian mother of six, with children ranging from ages 26 to 14. She lives in a West Bank refugee camp called Qadura. One of Rasmia’s child... More Info

Due Diligence

At LendforPeace.org, you can feel secure that your money is transferred quickly and transparently to a vetted and worthy entrepreneur.

 

  • Local Partner Selection:  LendforPeace.org relies on local microfinance institutions to screen and monitor borrowers.  All of our local partners work with the US government through USAID and comply with the US State Department's anti-terrorism clause.  Through consultation with international organizations (World Bank, UN), international microfinance experts (PlaNet Finance), foreign aid distributors (USAID), and many of the local microfinance banks themselves, LendforPeace.org is confident in the transparency and legitimacy of its partners.

 

  • Entrepreneur Selection: Before granting a loan, our partners rigorously research each potential borrower.  Loan officers examine everything from local reputation to sources of income and criminal records.  These same loan officers regularly visit each entrepreneur in the field to ensure that loans are being put to use properly. Furthermore, LendforPeace.org periodically sends its own personnel to audit partner portfolios and to perform site visits with current and prospective borrowers.

 

  • Accountability: Each loan made through LendforPeace.org is matched by our local partners or covered by a risk-sharing agreement. This gives our partners the incentive to raise capital only for entrepreneurs to which they themselves are willing to lend.  Our partners are regularly audited by internationally renowned accounting firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure the efficiency and trustworthiness of their operations.

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Narda Azaria Dalgleish
azariarahamim
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Geoff Livingston
geoffliving
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Sam Adelsberg
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 Goodness! how nice to see you here, before I even finished. Welcome to you.
Narda Azaria Dalgleish 3:48 pm
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 Welcome Geoff Livingston
Narda Azaria Dalgleish 5:41 pm
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 welcome, Sam. You could introduce yourself in the discussion box below and start a discussion. You could invite people here etc. I hope this helps towards the aim of peace.
Narda Azaria Dalgleish 10:36 am
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Muhammad Yunus

  Muhammad Yunus was born in 28th June, 1940 in the village of Bathua, in Hathazari, Chittagong, the business centre of what was then Eastern Bengal. He was the third of 14 children of whom five die ...more
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edited by azariarah... 2 months ago