The Hillsdale Effect
Do you want a better world?
Nearly half the world lives on less than two dollars and fifty cents a day, an unimaginable wage for people of our privileged and developed society.  After learning statistics such as these, we decided to create a club that we call The Hillsdale Effect.
We began as a group of nine students devoted to making a difference in the world.  We formed relationships with the Rotary Foundation and NamasteDirect, both non-profit organizations which work to give microloans to impoverished women in third world countries.  We are dedicated to informing our community about the needs of people in developing countries, the power of microloans to help them, and financing microloans in order to empower women and transform communities.
Microloans can play a major role in the effort to end poverty because they provide capital to the people who need money the most, the very people who would be turned away by conventional banks. While charities can provide short term help, they do not break the vicious cycle of poverty the way that Microloans can play a major role in the effort to end poverty because they provide capital to the people who need money the most, the very people who would be turned away by conventional banks. While charities can provide short term help, they do not break the vicious cycle of poverty the way that microloans can. A woman who is able to start a successful business is able to send her children to school; and, eventually, an entire community can be positively effected through these small but powerful loans. We chose our partner, NamasteDirect, because it is uniquely effective in the way it offers economic and vocational training along with the loan.
 
Our goal is for each member of our club to raise enough funds to provide one woman with a loan and the accompanying education and training. In addition, we each aim to raise enough to travel with NamasteDirect to Guatemala to see and learn about the loans in action this spring.  By supporting us, you are not only changing lives and communities in Guatemala but the lives of young people in your own community. Who knows how far the effect will reach ---The Hillsdale Effect!
 

What are Microloans?

Microloans are small loans of approximately $200 to $500. Although this small amount of money may seem meager to us, in Guatemala, it can help a woman jump start a business, provide herself with a steady income, and uplift herself out of poverty. In conjunction with the microloan, our partner, Namaste-Direct provides vocational training to ensure that their business is successful and that the loan is effective. Microloans allow rural Guatemalan women to create small businesses which provide them with financial self sufficiency, household stability, and empower them to become leaders in their communities. A fundamental distinction between microlending and conventional charity is that in essence we are helping impoverished women to help themselves. Simply giving money to the poor may temporarily alleviate their condition for a few days; however it is only short-term and does not fix the problem. Microloans truly address the plight of poverty at its source and empower impoverished women to become self-sustainable through small businesses.

Recent and Upcoming News

• April 19, 2010: Presentation to the San Mateo Rotary Club
• February 25, 2010: Presentation to the San Francisco Fisherman’s Warf Rotary Club
• February 22, 2010: Presentation to Saint Gregory’s School in San Mateo
• February 11, 2010: All nine of the microcredit loans funded last year have been repaid by the borrowers and the money will be recycled to provide new loans and help uplift even more women out of poverty
• February 11, 2010: Hosted a Taco Dinner at Hillsdale High School in which members of the student body, their parents, and other community members enjoyed a buffet dinner. Half of the proceeds went towards providing microloans to women in Guatemala while the other half went towards funding relief efforts in Haiti.
• October 18, 2009: Hosted a Stand Up Against Poverty Event on the campus of Hillsdale High School where the entirety of our 1200 student body stood up in unison with millions across the world to set a record for the most individuals standing up for a single cause; to call attention to the UN Millennium Development Goals. In the process we raised $6,800 which can provide 13 microloans to women in Guatemala
• July 30, 2009: Presentation to the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club
• April 6, 2009: Sent nine Hillsdale High School students to meet the beneficiaries of these loans and to see the effects of these loans first hand

How to Donate

Go to https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/Namaste-Direct/OnlineGiving.html

After entering personal and billing information, make sure to specify that the donation is in the name of the Hillsdale Effect in the comments section

Send donations to:

The Hillsdale Effect

c/o Mr. Greg Lance

3115 Del Monte St.

San Mateo, CA 94403

Checks are payable to The Hillsdale Effect

For more information on how to get involved contact us at thehillsdaleeffect@yahoo.com or at 650-***-****. You can also check out our Facebook page at by clicking here.

You can also buy a Hillsdale Effect T-Shirt for $20!.