Hat Vendor
When I first arrived in Santa Cruz, in order to hide my all too often bright red face from the sun on dig days, I bought a bucket hat from a vendor in a small street market. The vendor, himself sitting exposed to the harsh Bolivian UVs, joked with me about how helpful his hats were in protecting from the sun. Although his body was very visibly frying, his entire face hid under the shade of his bucket hat. I was sold.
This morning I passed by the hat vendor's stand again. Evidently, his business had added a a shade tent to keep him and his customers cool during the hot summer. I don't mean to automatically associate his hat stand with micro credit, but after my first gigantic smile reaction, I thought about how even a small enterprise like a hat stand could show such improvements, the types of improvements that micro credit enthusiasts boastfully tout. The jolly hat vendor clearly is moving up in life, and from the looks of it, he's riding the success of a small hat business. I like to think that there's hope even for the "little guy" and that improvements that most outsiders would quickly overlook can bring real change in people's lives. When I think about micro lending, I think of the basic principles of giving everyday people a chance to crawl out of the depths of poverty. Whether this hat vendor used micro loans or not is irrelevant. He's pulling himself up and realizing these goals through his own small enterprise. Days like today, I have faith in humanity.
For those who feel inspired, check out KIVA.org, a site that lets you make micro loans (to be repaid in full) to small enterprises of your choosing. Play banker for the poor and improve a family's life.
This morning I passed by the hat vendor's stand again. Evidently, his business had added a a shade tent to keep him and his customers cool during the hot summer. I don't mean to automatically associate his hat stand with micro credit, but after my first gigantic smile reaction, I thought about how even a small enterprise like a hat stand could show such improvements, the types of improvements that micro credit enthusiasts boastfully tout. The jolly hat vendor clearly is moving up in life, and from the looks of it, he's riding the success of a small hat business. I like to think that there's hope even for the "little guy" and that improvements that most outsiders would quickly overlook can bring real change in people's lives. When I think about micro lending, I think of the basic principles of giving everyday people a chance to crawl out of the depths of poverty. Whether this hat vendor used micro loans or not is irrelevant. He's pulling himself up and realizing these goals through his own small enterprise. Days like today, I have faith in humanity.
For those who feel inspired, check out KIVA.org, a site that lets you make micro loans (to be repaid in full) to small enterprises of your choosing. Play banker for the poor and improve a family's life.
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