the young girls who drop out of school and train them to ... Bags. Jamad. Jibreel â importer and seller of modest wome
August 2017
Dear Friends and Supporters Welcome to the Summer 2017 newsletter which is reporting on activity for a whole year! Somehow the Winter one didn’t get done. It was partly because we were so busy but also because I kept thinking that I was going to be able to make an exciting announcement – being accepted onto a European Loan Guarantee Scheme was going to trigger major investment and enable us to do a lot more. Our application for the loan guarantee was set for approval in July 2016 just as Brexit happened – and has been stalled ever since. We have been pursuing alternatives, assuming that it is never going to happen and in fact have had some significant investment from There is, however, some exciting news and that is more individual investors under the Community that we have received a major grant investment Investment Tax Relief Scheme. from a private Welsh Foundation. They wish to remain anonymous which somehow makes their Purple Shoots was set up as a not-for-profit generosity even greater. This will enable us to microfinance organisation which means it provides expand our work with self-reliant groups and will small loans to individuals trying to start or run a small business who cannot get funding from hopefully trigger the investment we were hoping for anywhere else – the aim is to encourage economic last year. We have also received confirmation of a development in the most disadvantaged areas of major grant to expand our work over the border in Wales through enabling people struggling with the South West of England – more about that in the unemployment to set up their own business. In next newsletter. addition to the individual loans, Purple Shoots is also helping people further away from selfemployment through self-reliant groups- getting small groups of people together and helping them rebuild confidence, identify skills and develop income generating ideas. We have just had a video made, which focuses on our self-reliant groups, by a local Welsh business, Luminous Media. They have done a really good job and you can view the video (which is about 4 minutes long) on our website www.purpleshoots.org. In July, Purple Shoots passed ¾ million pounds in loans since it started at the end of 2013, all loans of £3000 or less. To date we have made 346 loans. Of those 265 were to unemployed people starting new businesses and the rest either to existing small businesses or follow on loans to original borrowers to allow them to expand. 41% of the lending has been in areas which are in top 30% of levels of multiple deprivation. Many of the loans have led to employing additional people so I think we can comfortably claim to have created well over 300 jobs. The Responsible Finance Association developed a tool Donations from supporters are always welcome for measuring economic impact in conjunction with a and we can still offer Community Investment Tax university which takes into account things like Relief plus a good interest rate to anyone who benefits saved, increasing local spending power as would like to lend money to Purple Shoots for a well as negative factors like displacement, and using 3-5 year period. If you would like to know more this, the impact of our lending is roughly 10 about investing for social impact with Purple times the figure loaned, so £7.5 million. Shoots, have a look at our website http://
www.purpleshoots.org/get-involved.asp#lending.
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August 2017
Self-reliant Groups The most exciting thing that has happened this year with our groups was the trip to Uganda. Five people from our groups, plus myself were part-funded by PONT, a Pontypridd based charity, supported by the Wales Africa Hub, to visit equivalent self-help groups in Uganda. Our aim was to learn from the Ugandan groups and to be inspired to develop more in Wales. We travelled to Mbale and were hosted by the Mbale Coalition Against Poverty, a consortium of small NGOs working in different communities around Mbale. Each day, we went out with a different organisation to Loans meet the groups they were working With so much to say about with, and each day our groups, there is not we were much space to talk about completely our borrowers but we have overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of had some great successes the welcome we and many more This is the group that went (plus me) Keith and received when we businesses starting and Susanne Lewis from PONT at the back and then arrived in these people coming out of left to right: Drom Thomas, Rita Evans, Sarah villages. There was Evans, Richard French and Christine French. unemployment. Here are a always a formal few: introduction first, often with lots of Bo Grant – songs and dancing (in which we joined in, much to their delight) and a follow on then we split up into twos and were able to sit and talk to smaller loan to groups. grow her business The Ugandan groups operate largely in the same way that ours do – and her their members commit to the group, meet regularly and build up iconic friendship and trust between them. They share skills with each other Welsh and the supporting NGO provides specific training on a range of brand of things if they request it – Purple Shoots offers this to our groups too. shortbread The Ugandan groups save together weekly and members of the “Bo Bakes” groups are able to borrow from this savings fund, to help them through crises, to fund their children at school etc– and they repay through the income generating activities which they undertake. Some Christina of them start their own small businesses. Bunch – a burger van The Purple Shoots groups also save into a fund, and most of them in Llanelli work together on income generating activities of some description – proceeds from these also go into group funds. The combined funds are then available to develop the activities of the group – to pay for training or to develop their businesses and also to lend to Craig group members if needed in a Campling crisis. This keeps them away from – mobile predatory lenders who are often car their only option. Purple Shoots valeting itself will also lend to a group or to individuals from a group to help them start a business. In Mbale, although there seemed to be microfinance organisations
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August 2017
Desi Hill – maker of glass jewellery in Barry
Gemma Evans – dance teacher in Newport
Ian Rees – Burger van in Ebbw Vale
Jacob Anthony – baker in Tonypandy
Irina Nazar – property management in Cardiff
available, all lending to groups and group members was done informally through the groups with group funds. They said that local microfinance organisations were too expensive for them. The savings and loans had had transformative effects on group members and we met so many inspiring people. Here are a couple of examples: - Lorna (from Mwanda): Before she joined the group, she made as much as she could sewing and mending on the roadside. One of the group members invited her to join and she began saving. She borrowed money to buy more materials and started making school uniforms which she was able to sell. When she has accumulated more savings, she plans to buy a second sewing machine, take on some of the young girls who drop out of school and train them to sew, and train other group members for a fee, and then grow her business so that she and the other group members can make uniforms for many schools and other clothes to sell. Also in the photo is Rebecca. She said she was isolated and alone before she came to the group and now her life has improved – she Rose (in the pink T shirt) with the appreciates the wisdom group and Sarah Evans, our own and support of the older wheelchair user women in the group and through the group she has a goat which produces milk and earns an income for her. Her long term plan is to save and earn enough to buy her husband a motorbike so he can earn as a boda-boda (taxi) driver. - Rose and the Mbale United Association for the Disabled This group, all people with disabilities, runs a small business making heavy duty bags and tarpaulins. The business earns them a living and they pay themselves equally. The group support each other and succeed against all sorts of odds – a building riddled with termites, machinery which is unusable because it needs parts they don’t have, insufficient stock and poor equipment for themselves (broom handles for crutches, no wheelchairs). These people are Ugandan proof of our belief Jewellery that there are many talented and entrepreneurial people hidden behind poverty who just need a little help to enable them to flourish and reach their potential. We seek to do this through both our individual loans and our self-reliant groups which follow this model and we want to change society’s view of people in poverty from seeing them as weak and 3
August 2017
Jamad Jibreel – importer and seller of modest women’s clothing
Katie Davies – dog groomer, Cwmbran
David Jones – fishing tackle and kayak shop, Menai Bridge, Anglesey
Rebecca O’Reilly, talented photographer, Aberdare
Fred Luckman – carpenter, Cardigan
And hundreds more!!!
vulnerable, to seeing them as resourceful producers. Since our visit, one of our groups has Rucksacks decided to support the fledgling businesses in Uganda and with our support, is beginning to import and sell some of the products made there – we hope that will grow to something significant to benefit both the Welsh and Ugandan groups.
Dresses
Miss Tilleys Another highlight of our SRGs this year has been the growth of Miss Tilleys . Miss Tilley's are a Self Reliant Group who share a joint vision to provide valued and valuable employment opportunities for people with disabilities and learning needs. The inspiration behind it was Miss Laura Tilley and her friend Clare. Laura has Downs Syndrome. On completing her college course and looking to enter the world of work Laura recognised that there can be many obstacles facing people with Bags disabilities and learning needs. With this in mind they decided to start a venture fostering the ethos of 'a job for all' and highlighting the absolute importance of promoting equality and celebrating each other's diversity. Miss Tilley's Community Cafe opened its doors on 11th April 2016 and from its first cake sale event to afternoon teas, street festivals and family fun days Miss Tilley's SRG has gone from strength to strength. In September 2016 Miss Tilley's was given a regular slot in the Whittaker Lounge, Church Café of Beulah United Reformed Church (Rhiwbina, Cardiff) and they now open every Monday and Tuesday in term time and one Wednesday in every five. They also regularly hold events and have formed a link with a local nursery who visit for stories, singing and refreshments. Through these partnerships and events they are working with the community to break down the barriers that face those with disabilities and learning needs and are a visible and valuable presence in the community. The group has grown and they are training up others with learning disabilities to work with them. Thank you to everyone involved and to everyone who takes an interest in Purple Shoots Karen Davies 4
August 2017
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