In this issue:

• The Greater Contribution's key partnership with WMI
• US interns arrive in Uganda
• Bethesda summer interns hard at work
• Donated eyeglasses arrive in Buyobo
• New loan hub preparing to launch in Shikokho, KY
• IMF Civic Program generously supports WMI
• WMI 50 cocktail party a success 

WMI is very pleased to have the support of The Greater Contribution, a non-profit organization in California, in its mission of bringing microfinance opportunities to impoverished women. WMI began working with TGC in 2010. Since that time, the organization has generously contributed over $56,000 to WMI's loan program.

Karon Wright, above, is  President of The Greater  Contribution .

When TGC was launched in 2006, it did not have a primary emphasis on microfinance. It started out with a much broader program aimed at

Walt Whitman High and Georgetown Day School students  wear  traditional dress in Buyobo.

June in Buyobo was a busy time. The village welcomed several new interns during the month, including students from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD and Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC; George Washington University anthropology professor John Finch; and, recent college graduates Erin Kelly (UMich) and Jackie Vouthouris. The villagers were happy to have so many new visitors coming to support their community.

The high school interns arrived with WMI board member,June Kyakobye on June 18 and were quickly put to work. The interns decorated the classrooms begun by last year's Whitman interns, which the adult interns had cleaned and pre-painted earlier in June. The beautiful and educational new designs include flowers, body parts, crocodiles, fish and a detailed map of Africa.

The interns play soccer with the village kids after a hard day of work.

The interns may have been busy, but they still found time to bond with kids in the village. The interns played an intense soccer game with students from the primary school, several of whom were also very interested in the interns' digital cameras. Though the language was a bit of a barrier, the interns and kids were able to communicate through hand motions and facial expressions. And when it was time to shower after the game, the interns had a new place to go: June's mom's house was finished just in time.

Nalini helps a girl complete a math problem in a P6 class. John Finch, an anthropology professor, and Montana Stevenson work on the internet cafe.

Adult interns arrived earlier in the month with their own projects. John Finch worked to improve the Internet caf� set up by last summer's Whitman interns. He also conducted interviews in the village to begin piecing together

a history of Buyobo.

Erin is working on publicity for WMI, interviewing borrowers and their families to create a "Day in the Life" film about the loan program's effects in Buyobo. She is also working on a microfinance booklet for the children's library at the Buyobo Primary School. 

Jackie continued Local Director, Oliave Wolimbwa's training on Excel, which Olive will use to update and automate her expense reports. Jackie is also developing an account register for the BWA staff to track their deposits and withdrawals. In an effort to increase literacy rates in the village, Jackie met with local trainers to discuss the development of an Adult Literacy program. 

Over the course of the first two weeks in June, WMI collected eyeglasses for the ladies in the village. The donation boxes were set up at Whitman High School, Pyle Middle School, and other Bethesda/Chevy Chase locations, and were filled by extremely generous donors. In total, WMI collected over 500 pairs of glasses!

WMI will open a new loan hub in Shikokho, Kenya, in July.  WMI began working with the Shikohko Women's Group through the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, which partnered with the women's group in 1995 to create a medical clinic. The majority of Shikokho residents live on less than a dollar a day, and there is a 40% literacy rate in the area. 

WMI's US liaison to the Siaya, Kenya loan group, located about 100 miles from Shikokho, is Elizabeth Ongao of the Eastern African Center for Progressive Development.  Elizabeth travels to Siaya annually to oversee loan program operations. She is currently there through July 15 and will visit Shikokho to orient the women's group and discuss loan program operations. Subsequently, WMI's local director in Uganda will travel to Shikokho with a team of trainers from Buyobo and Siaya to launch the loan program at the end of July. 

On May 13th , the IMF Civic Program announced its decision to give WMI a $12,500 grant based on WMI's submission of its unique economic model for combating poverty. This was the second grant WMI received from the program; the first was a $10,000 grant in 2010.

The IMF Civic Program supports grants to non-profit organizations working to help the poorest and most disadvantaged emerge from very low-income, socially dependent, and other detrimental and dysfunctional situations. IMF Civic Program funds are for humanitarian purposes only and are separate from the IMF's financial support for member countries and policy programs. 

WMI Advisory Board member Beth Tomacello hosted the biannual "WMI 50" cocktail party at her home on May 22. It was a lovely evening. WMI supporters had a chance to socialize and sample delicious homemade treats. The WMI 50 is a group of WMI supporters who have committed to donate $250 a year for two years to the loan program. The party provided WMI donors with the opportunity to learn more about the organization's operations in a more intimate setting.  WMI is grateful to Beth for opening up her home for this festive occasion.