Village Development with or without micro-financing institutions

PS: We are just learning in Samoa how to better develop our villages with micro-financing, whilst simultaneously protecting our wildlife and our ecosystems.







And thanks to http://www.greenmicrofinance.org/ (GMf), we may even learn some more exciting village development skills. We Kids are already working with South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) which offers micro-finance loans of $SAT500-5000 to our mothers only (can't trust our dads, they'll probably just drink it or give it to the Church). Samoan women are renown for village development achievements - we even have legends claiming Samoan women are better than men (see http://nuanuasooaemalelagi.blogspot.com/ - short story 79).



So, if we have our way, we Kids can solicit SPBD micro-financing loans for our PAs (Protected Area) villages, hence successfully packaging micro-financing with a conservation cause, and giving all the credit to our mothers in the village.

All we need are the proven existing micro-enterprises in Samoa (and any new ones of course), some expanding nearby markets, the fancy technologies to do it easily and cheaply, and this is where GMf may come in, especially when “Energizing the Pacific” as they are doing likewise in India, “Energizing India Project with a German partner”. Sometimes, all we need is cheap electricity and our new businesses will flourish.



We are also thinking of producing our own electricity using coconut oil - first we need a coconut oil press, hence the great demand for some fancy modern micro-technologies here in Samoa.

However, in Samoa, we may also need to quickly help underwrite and establish some novel business incentives within our wildlife conservation projects for these selected conservation villagers, and this is where SPBD’s expertise comes in with a perfect-fit. And if GMf can help make this happen within this 2-Year period (2008-2010), then all the better.

This only leaves us with the need to increase the village consultations with the Councils of Chiefs and the Womens Committees, offering them conservation trainings, possibly with some underwritings of certain novel project activities like mangove tree plantings, captive breeding of various seafood species, construction of a mangrove walkways made from recycled plastic (collected out of the old dump right here in the largest mangrove forest in Samoa). Luckily, Samoa moved its household waste dumpsite further inland 10 years ago.



We now need to restore these mangroves, possibly creating an ecotourism destination of it, adding interpretation resources and canoe-tours through the mangroves.

We also need to offer villagers prompt business acumen skills, environmental management advice and skills, with good marketing support, and demonstrate how to develop the best village in the South Pacific.



Luckily, our micro-financing partner, SPBD, is in each village each week collecting micro-loan repayments, offering more business advice, helping to solve business problems, creating new market opportunities where possible, and offering all the moral support that new businesses usually need, especially if this is the first time these women have been in business.



Trouble is, we need more incentives for these villagers to better protect their ecosystems. Therefore, an Incentives Partnership Group is being formed in each conservation village, and all partners in this Wildlife Conservation Project (PoWPA) will help provide new incentives for villagers to adopt more biodiversity-friendly activities.

We, therefore, have a partnership here with the Government of Samoa and rural villagers, as well as numerous NGOs (non-government organizations) such as Conservation International (CI), SPBD and GMf, that if the Incentives Partnership Group is steered carefully, we may all have an excellent Wildlife Conservation Project for Samoa and the Pacific in the making.



We just need to hold this partnership together, develop a 'conservation model' for attaining excellent conservation management skills and sustainable livelihoods skills.

In addition, we are hoping that CI can also pull more funding partners to the table, and that GMf can ‘Energize the Pacific’ with its key global partners, opening-up opportunities here for other conservation villages in Samoa and elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Taking this just one step further, we still see a great opportunity here for women (SPBD only lends to women) and the role to be played by our Ministry of Women and Community and Social Development (MWCSD) here in Samoa is yet to be exploited. We still need to consult with the Minister of Women and she’s usually very enthusiastic, so allow us a few more days/weeks to tap this huge female resource in Samoa.

Sad day, however, for we ‘Samoan’ men, but look at the collective mess we ‘global’ men have put the world in.