daghang salamat sa tanan!

And someday soon we would like to be! While the closest we’ll be getting for the moment is Cambodia in the next couple of years, it’s most certainly not out of the question that we’ll make it to Laos.

As always, these MFI partnerships take time to develop. With market research both in office and in the field (as you can see, we have fabulous fellows like Patrick!), followed by the due diligence to assess that research, and then determining the details of an actual partnership, it can take several months to launch a program. The important thing is, Vittana’s committed to doing our homework, and though sometimes we wish things could go faster, our goal is a sustainable partnership that provides feasible country-specific loans for our students, and a lasting relationship with an MFI.

Thanks so much for writing in and for your interest in Vittana’s work. We’ll continue to use the blog as a means to update our supporters, lenders, and donors, on Vittana’s partnership progress throughout Asia and the rest of the globe.

All the best to you,

Sophie

We’re also watching the situation develop in Somalia and Eastern Africa. It is indeed heart breaking and frustrating.

We at Vittana believe that education is a right — not a privilege. Regardless of where you live, when you ask parents what they want for their kids, they want them to get educated and have a better chance at life than they did — that’s true everywhere, whether in the US or Peru or India or Somalia. Unfortunately, as with Somalia right now, conflict, decades of drought, and an international humanitarian crisis are just a few things getting in the way. We don’t work in food or emergency aid, but we’re big fans of those that do.

Within Africa, Vittana is already working on developing partnerships in Rwanda, Ghana, and Kenya. We work in regions where there is both fundamental need and fundamental opportunity and the stories from Rwanda are amazing. One school in particular that we’ve been in touch with, the Akilah Institute, is helping young girls and women achieve degrees in agricultural, hospitality, and entrepreneurial fields. One student, featured in our recent What Does Education Mean to You? Video says that to her, “Education is a key that opens (her) mind.” These women are looking to move their country forward following disaster, and that’s truly inspiring.

Long before students appear on vittana.org, Vittana and Vittana Fellows begin work. In order to develop a solid relationship with an MFI there’s market research to be done, program design, as well as all of the due-diligence required to make a country-specific, sustainable loan program. Though our website is our public face, this “behind the scenes” work is a sizable chunk of what we do, and it takes several months to develop a solid partnership.

Thank you for caring so much about global education and the work Vittana does. We at Vittana believe education is the most powerful tool we have to fight global poverty and it’s refreshing to meet people as passionate as we are.

Sophie

Cheers,
Ryan
Mongolia