Weezie Post:

It's always surreal to get on a plane for 18 hours (even though it does seem like a lot) and get back off the plane and be on a totally different country, one you always hear about in the news, yet in the back of your mind you don't expect to be there anytime soon. Yet here I am, in Johannesburg, and just yesterday I was riding along in a massive open-aired jeep, searching for a cheetah in an African veldt.

In 2004, my mom and I went to Zambia, where the poverty rate was extremely high, and the level of development was pretty low. Mud huts, run down cars, and beggars were common. So, when I arrived at the South African airport, and saw the sleek, clean floors, and when we drove to our hotel, everything we saw pass by our window was extremely modern and developed. It didn't feel as if I had left the United States. I think that people, even I, underestimate and prejudge the level of development in Africa. People claim that giving or investing money to Africa is a waste, yet they have no right to say that until they have been to the continent, and have seen what has been done here already. It's pretty advanced in some areas, and with effort and help, the under-developed areas can achieve that same level of development.

On the first day, we attended an introductory meeting with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, who is hosting the Microfinance Conference we will be attending in Cape Town. It was amazing when they shared their statistics that demonstrated the change they had created within South Africa. We visited a loan receiver, a young woman in her twenties who was opening up a spa and had received a loan from Umsobomvu. She was so happy and proud of herself, and to think that some people doubt the ability of Microfinance institutions was crazy. You knew it had made huge impact on her life. Riding back on the bus to the hotel, I thought more about how this new concept of microfinance was still a little-known movement, and so many people back in my town and in the US always wonder what they can do to help a person in a less-privileged spot. Microfinance is so sustainable, and the difference it makes is tremendous.

Weezie