Fw: Spring Newsletter: Spreading Our Roots

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver What is Social Entrepreneurship? Statement of Faith You can find other "Market with Meaning" but you definitely want to see "Profit with Purpose". I personally "Believe in Kingdom Transformation" because I know there is only ONE "Life for Significant". 社會企業家的事業 my facebook  &  my twitter  &  my blog --- 2010年3月30日 星期二，Root Capital <Root_Capital@mail.vresp.com> 寫道﹕ 寄件人: Root Capital <Root_Capital@mail.vresp.com> 主題: Spring Newsletter: Spreading Our Roots 收件人: incubator.hou@gmail.com 日期: 2010年3月30日,星期二,下午11:16 If you are having difficulties viewing this email, click here  Forward to a friend     Spring 2010 Newsletter  In This Issue Message from the Founder Postcards From the Field Spreading Our Roots Welcoming New Board Members Meet One of Our Borrowers Upcoming Events Support Root Capital Meet One of Our Borrowers Laguna Baja Aric Product: Ecotourism Location: Mexico Client Since: 2002 Loan Product: Capital Expenditure Loan Size: $38,500 (2002), $15,000 (2004), $42,000 (2006), $30,000 (2010) For more than 40 years, Jose Francisco Mayoral—also known as Don Pachico—has worked in the San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. During this time, Don Pachico has had some unique experiences. He has guided renowned researchers from National Geographic and has worked with scientists and documentary filmmakers. He even served as Christopher Reeve’s tour guide in Into the Wild, a PBS series about gray whales. But Don Pachico wasn't always so close to Hollywood fame. He moved to San Ignacio in the 1960s to work as a fisherman, and his path to world recognition began while he was fishing one day in 1972. Until that point, fisherman tales had described gray whales as aggressive and dangerous. As Pachico’s Ecotours now claims, “there had been no known contact between gray whales and man without one or the other ending up dead.”  But on that day, when a gray whale approached his fishing boat, a frightened Don Pachico was in for a surprise. The gray whale that had unexpectedly glided next to his boat was not hostile, and after noticing this, Don Pachico reached out and touched the whale. With that one movement, he disproved the age-old myth that had caused fishermen to fear gray whales for centuries.   With the goal of sharing his newfound knowledge, Don Pachico began guiding whale watching tours on the San Ignacio Lagoon, which serves as a winter home to 21,000 gray whales. In 2000, Don Pachico founded Pachico's Ecotours, a family-run business and part of Laguna Baja Aric, a federation of nine community-based ecotourism enterprises operating in the San Ignacio Lagoon. Despite his renowned expertise, Don Pachico has had trouble accessing credit for his business. In fact, Root Capital has been his only source of credit and has been providing loans to Laguna Baja Aric since 2002.  "Through Laguna Baja Aric we have been able to access credit from Root Capital. This opportunity has not only helped us to support our business but acts as great motivation for all of [Laguna Baja Aric's] member organizations," he said. And to think it all started with a friendly gray whale. Upcoming Events Want to connect with Root Capital? Look for us here: Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, April 12-16, Oxford, UK The 2010 Specialty Coffee Association of America Exposition, April 14-18, Anaheim, CA Support Root Capital! Message from the Founder Dear Friends, 2010 marks Root Capital’s 10-year anniversary as a pioneer of finance for small and growing businesses in developing countries. And what a decade it’s been! Turns out my daughter, Charlotte, is also ten years old. How gratifying to note that since she was born, Root Capital has empowered hundreds of thousands of farmers and a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs who are helping to move rural populations out of poverty across Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. It’s a simple formula. Our capital and financial training propel the growth of their grassroots businesses. Their hope and hard work inspire our optimism and social entrepreneurship – and we transform livelihoods together. This newsletter provides snapshots of such partnership. In “postcards from the field,” you will get a chance to join us on a recent trip to Liberia to visit one of Root Capital’s newest clients, The Liberian Women’s Sewing Project (LWSP). Women who led the country’s peace movement are creating a “Made in Liberia” sustainable apparel line, building a brand new supply chain that’s Fair Trade and organic “from dirt to shirt,” as they say. You will also visit villages in northern Ghana where groups of women are hard at work producing shea butter, a sustainable tree crop that’s also known as “women’s gold.” These shea trees are found in the parched dry lands on the edge of the Sahara Desert, near Ghana’s border with Burkina Faso. These are two examples of how our work has the potential to transform and empower women-centered businesses in some of the world’s poorest countries. From Liberia and Ghana to my trip last week in the central highlands of Peru (we’re visiting smallholder producers of artichokes, jalapeño peppers, cocoa, and coffee), I am endlessly inspired by the businesses and rural communities we support. Traveling with Root Capital’s local staff, I am also honored to witness the transformation of our team’s passion into a mission that’s deeply rooted in a global community of grassroots clients, partners, and supporters. I am forever grateful for this and beyond excited to continue on this journey with you as we enter our next phase of growth – i.e., scaling current operations that have proven successful, and leveraging our core competencies to launch new products and innovations that continue our efforts to rescue the lost art of agricultural lending. Root Capital stands on fertile ground. Our rapid growth and strong track record demonstrate the impact we’re already having on economic development and environmental sustainability in the communities we serve. Since our founding in 1999, we have: Disbursed more than $175 million in harvest loans and long-term credit for productive infrastructure Extended loans to 265 small and growing businesses and 385,000 farm households Supported 1.4 million acres of sustainably managed land Built local financial and managerial capacity by providing financial education and training to more than 70 enterprises and facilitating workshops for over 6,000 participants Maintained a 99% repayment rate on our loans and a 100% repayment rate to our investors I return from my travels more aware than ever of the importance of what we do. While my daughter may not grasp the notion of hundreds of thousands of people reached, she’s already telling her 5th-grade friends about the women heroes of Liberia. Here’s to redefining heroes and raising healthy children and sustainable livelihoods worldwide. On behalf of our entire team, I extend a heartfelt "thank you" for helping to make our first decade a success. In deep gratitude for your continued support of our mission,  William Foote Founder and CEO Listen to an interview with Willy Foote, reflecting on the last 10 years  Postcards from the Field Last month, Root Capital Founder and CEO Willy Foote traveled to western Africa with Senior Vice President of Business Development Liam Brody, Africa Regional Director Nate Schaffran, and Investment Officer Bamba Fall. While in Liberia, the team visited the Liberian Women’s Sewing Project, a sustainable apparel manufacturer part-owned and operated by Liberian women. The organization directs 75% of its profits toward community development projects including a health clinic, a vocational sewing school, and a girl’s scholarship fund. The remaining 25% of profits remain within the enterprise, allowing each worker to build equity over time. In Ghana, the Root Capital team visited producers of shea butter, a product Root Capital has financed since 2007. The shea tree is unique to Africa and forms part of the "Green Belt," a forested area that helps stem the southward creep of the Sahara Desert. Traditionally, the activity of collecting shea nuts and processing butter has been done exclusively by women, and the income earned from shea butter goes to and is controlled by women. By financing shea butter producers, Root Capital is working to close the circle between economically marginalized women and their communities, and the preservation of arable land.   Watch a video postcard of Root Capital staff members visiting the Liberian Women's Sewing Project Watch a video postcard of Root Capital staff members visiting shea butter producers in Ghana Spreading Our Roots In January, Root Capital's Headquarters in Cambridge, MA moved to its new home at 955 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA, 02139. Although it is right down the street from our old location, the space has tripled in size due to our fast growth. Throughout the design and build-out of the Root Capital space, all efforts were made to provide an environmentally responsible workspace. These efforts were directed toward the layout and design, physical construction, and energy impact of the space. We love visitors and welcome you to stop by and see our new office! See pictures of our new office Welcoming New Board Members Root Capital is excited to announce Frank Hicks as our new board chair. Mr. Hicks, vice president of investment at Bio-Logical Capital, has been a board member since 2007. His commitment to our mission and expertise in social capital and environmental sustainability has been critical to our recent growth. We look forward to working with him in his new leadership role. Root Capital is also excited to announce new board directors Elizabeth Funk, president and CEO of the Dignity Fund, and Jeremy Mindich, founder and managing partner at Scopia Capital. Both Ms. Funk and Mr. Mindich bring to Root Capital years of financial investing expertise and a passion for global economic development. With these exciting additions also come some sad goodbyes. As their board commitments come to an end, we would like to thank Deborah Drake — Root Capital’s board chair from 2004 to 2010, Jonathan Rosenthal, and Laurel Neylon for their many years of service and commitment. As relentless champions of Root Capital's mission, they have helped to build a strong foundation for the organization’s future growth. Read biographies of Root Capital's board of directors  www.rootcapital.org                                                                                                                     info@rootcapital.org If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe Root Capital 675 Massachusetts Ave, 8th Floor Cambridge MA 02139 Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

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