Microfinance loans help small-businessmen create jobs, which is good for everyone.
The U.S. Marshall Plan, after World War II, helped rebuild Europe, creating jobs and preventing extremism.
I’ve been encouraged to help out via microfinance loans in the West Bank of Palestine, by people from the governments of the U.S., Israel and Palestine. This is “public diplomacy,” a kind of service to the community.
Looks like the best way to do this is with Kiva.org, a great umbrella microfinance group. On the ground, we work with CHF International, which has an outstanding record helping people across the world.
We’ve already had some results, helping some small-businessmen in the West Bank, with more to come.
For more, check out the official announcement on chfinternational.org. (Will try to get exact link later.)
Did I mention this has the support of all three governments involved?