The Foundation for Women (FFW) recently celebrated its 26th anniversary at its headquarters in the Bassa Town community near Paynesville red light. This milestone event was vibrant evidence of the organization's commitment to empowering women both locally and globally. FFW, a registered non-profit and non-governmental organization, is dedicated to eradicating poverty through microcredit programs. Their mission encompasses providing women living in poverty with microfinance opportunities that facilitate sustainable income generation, educational support, business training, and economic prosperity.

Ms. Deborah Lindholm, the visionary founder and executive director of FFW, shared her inspiring journey and the genesis of the foundation.

​“Whenever I’m asked about the Foundation for Women, I often say that it was a divine idea I was fortunate enough to hear and act upon,” Lindholm remarked.

Her journey began with a realization during her travels around the world. Witnessing widespread poverty, particularly affecting women and children, deeply moved her. This experience led her to delve into microfinance, recognizing its potential to uplift communities.

“In 1995, I discovered that many impoverished women, living on less than a dollar a day, were eager to improve their lives if given access to capital,” Lindholm recalled. “That revelation set me on the path of microfinance, and I’ve been committed to it ever since.”

​However, FFW’s inception traces back to Lindholm’s first microfinance program in India in the late 1990s. Over the years, the foundation expanded its reach to Zambia, South Africa, Niger, and eventually Liberia.

The core principle of FFW’s microfinance approach is empowerment. “We offer a hand up, not a handout,” Lindholm emphasized. “By providing access to capital and believing in the potential of these women, we stand beside them, encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit.”

Reflecting on FFW’s impact, Lindholm proudly said: “From empowering 100 women in India to over 1.5 million globally, we estimate that we’ve positively impacted the lives of more than 25 million people worldwide. Every loan we provide benefits not just the borrower but approximately ten others in their community.”

​She also highlighted the impressive repayment rate among women borrowers, exceeding 95% globally. “This statistic underscores the determination and responsibility these women exhibit to better their families’ lives,” she noted.
Looking forward, FFW has ambitious plans for Liberia. A new program, “Safe Conversation”, aims to foster dialogue and reduce tribalism. “Communication is key to understanding and unity,” Lindholm explained. “We’re committed to equipping Liberians with the tools to communicate effectively and peacefully.”

Additionally, FFW is spearheading a transformative agriculture project in Bong County. This initiative seeks to revolutionize agriculture, particularly rice production, ensuring food security for Liberia in the coming years.

In closing, Lindholm expressed her gratitude and admiration for her team and the resilience of the Liberian people. “Working in Liberia has been a blessing. The hope, resilience, and tenacity displayed by the Liberian community are truly remarkable,” she said.

With a clear vision and unwavering commitment, the Foundation for Women continues to pave the way for economic empowerment and positive change in Liberia and beyond.

Amelia B. Tamba, Micro-loan Manager at Foundation For Women, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to be a part of the anniversary celebration after working with the organization for the past twelve years.

“I am very proud to be a part of such a great family,” she said. “It is very exciting working with women as a whole and with the work that we do; you have to have the passion to work with women because there are different kinds of women: women with hot tempers, women with low tempers, and women who don’t listen.”

​She added that before one can work with women, they should be willing to work with them, and she finds it very interesting to have worked with women for the past twelve years without getting tired. “I am still willing to work with them because I always enjoy working with them. Though there are lots of challenges, we can overcome the challenges,” Tamba said.

According to her, in the practice of lending money, a common challenge is the repayment of loans. “To get them to pay the loan back sometimes, we have to pet them, even re-loan them, and reschedule the loan so that they will get the money to pay for the current loan and the past loan.

Sometimes, if they refuse to accept being re-loaned, we can reschedule the loan. So with that, we help them make those plans to see how they can pay the loan.”

T. Magnus Gayflor, Sr., Director of the Foundation for Women Liberia, said FFW’s prospects for continuance on Liberia were slim because ‌Ebola had struck the Liberian economy and affected many institutions.

​“So when we joined the institution, repayment of loans was slow and clients were scattered, so we started to wonder, what is the prospect of this institution continuing when things are like this,” he said. “So, some of my colleagues and I sat down and brainstormed and gave advice to the management. One of the pieces of advice was to change the location of the institution. We were located in the airfield community that was quite friendly and far from the market. We needed to be market-focused, so we advised them to move to Red Light, in Paynesville.”

​According to him, FFW Liberia is resilient and has been able to keep its head above the water. “One thing that has kept us committed here is the incentive provided by the management, which is that we are entitled to loans. We use very low-interest-rate loans that we use to develop ourselves.”

“So almost every one of us here has done something in our lives from the loans that we have acquired from the institution, and everyone sees the institution as his or her own, so that has increased our loyalty to the institution,” he added.

​By Claudius T. Greene, Jr. Read the full article online at The Daily Observer.

Things in Liberia are very hard, the democracy very fragile. The presidential election October 10th did not produce a winner of 50% plus one vote, so a runoff election is scheduled for November 14th. The country is holding its collective breath, as the polarization is tremendous, no middle ground. Little business is happening, rice is over $20/bag – up from $13 just a few months ago. People are praying constantly for a new chapter for their country, their world.

Deborah Lindholm

Everywhere March 8th

To Our Global Human Family – As we have for 25 years now, the Foundation for Women celebrates International Women’s Day today! We are so blessed and honored to be holding hands with women and families locally and globally for so many years, and forever!

Blessings and love from the entire global Foundation for Women Family

Deborah Lindholm

The people of Liberia have suffered through civil war and disease which has prevented so many from receiving a quality education. Now, with an opportunity to rapidly learn anywhere and at any time, we are seeing a renewed sense of hope and a path towards the end goal: to provide every Liberian an opportunity to reach full proficiency in English, math, and job skills. 

We are so grateful to the Foundation for Women team for investing their time, talent, and resources into making this a success. This is just the beginning!”

All of us here at FFW are so excited for this new partnership and can't wait to see where we go from here.  Thank you to everyone at Learning Upgrade and welcome to the FFW family!

Replace stolen phones - $180 – DONE!
Replace stolen personal money - $145
Immediate house repair for security - $100 – DONE!
Replace stolen car battery - $60
Replace stolen FFW repayment funds for which Calvin is responsible - $745
 
And then the bigger Build a Secure 2-Bedroom Home Project:
 
Secure Property Survey and Deed - $250
Construction from foundation to roof level - $2446
Roofing - $885
Labor - $1500

As so many of your know, Calvin has been a treasured part of our FFW family for more than a decade.  His official title is Loan Monitor/Special Assistant to CEO.  I cannot imagine my life or the FFW without Calvin.  We are praying that several of you will choose an option so together we can immediately change the reality of this dear and treasured family.  We will keep you updated.
 
With tremendous gratitude and love in advance,

Deborah Lindholm