Lendwithcare in the Philippines | Stories from survivors of Typhoon Haiyan

Tracey Horner, Head of Lendwithcare, has spent the last 14 days visiting lendwithcare entrepreneurs in typhoon-affected areas of the Philippines. Below she retells the stories of just some of the entrepreneurs she met ...

Lendwithcare entrepreneur, Anecito Rivera, before Typhoon Haiyan

More from Lendwithcare in the Philippines | The impact of Typhoon Haiyan

Day 12 and Tracey retells the stories of the Lendwithcare entrepreneurs she has met whilst in the Philippines ...

I had to accept that we were not going to get to Leyte or any of the other worst affected islands due to the bad weather. There has been an area of low pressure over the Philippines for the last couple of weeks which has been causing constant rain and high winds and severe flooding in some areas. 

CARE/Peter Caton

Day 8: "How is the Philippines coping after [Typhoon] Haiyan?"

Tracey Horner, Head of Lendwithcare, is still battling the elements in the Visayas (the Philippines) to find out more about the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on local businesses and livelihoods.

Most typhoon affected said they were just thankful they still had their loved ones. Feel inspired by their courage.
— Tracey (@traceymohabir) January 17, 2014

CARE-ACCORD distribution of household items in Ormoc

Philippines Diary - Update from the field by Tracey Horner

Update from a field visit in the Philippines by Tracey Horner, received on Tues. 14^th Jan., 14:04 London time.

"I finally arrived in Manila over 24 hours after I left my house. The Manila traffic is truly appalling during rush hour, which seems to last for much of the day. It reminded me of the fab BBC Programme "Toughest place to be a...", which featured in one episode a bus driver from London living in Manila and taking over the job of a 'Jeepney' driver for a week.  Funnily enough, the security briefing I received from the CARE office said that staff are not allowed to travel in Jeepney's due to safety concerns!  I ended up commuting back to the office in what Filipinos call 'tricycles', which are like a motor bike with a side car.  These are the same vehicles that Lendwithcare is helping to fund, with loans to some drivers who want to convert their 'tricycles' to less polluting LPG gas.  More details to follow next week when I meet with the company 'Clean Engines' to discuss further funding."

Tweet from Tracey on the day she arrived:

Day 2 – Safely arrived in the Philippines

Day Two

Arrived safely after a 19 hour journey. Catching up with the CARE office tomorrow then meeting @lendwithcare partner next day.
— Tracey (@traceymohabir) January 13, 2014

Head of Lendwithcare, Tracey Horner, safely arrived in Manila this morning where she will stay for a couple of days and meet with CARE Philippines staff to discuss a rehabilitation plan for the people who lost their livelihoods when Typhoon Haiyan hit on November 8^th last year. One of the main questions to be addressed is how Lendwithcare, a peer-to-peer lending platform operating in devastated areas, can contribute to these rebuilding efforts.

Philippines Diary - lendwithcare in the field

As Tracey Horner, Head of Lendwithcare, travels to the Philippines post Typhoon Haiyan we follow her here ... 

Does faith matter? A blogpost by Dr. Ajaz Ahmed Khan

Does an association with faith encourage more prompt repayment of microloans and are the staff of faith-inspired microfinance institutions more motivated?

After recently returning from a visit to Pakistan, where I was analysing the operations of an Islamic microfinance institution, I am tempted to answer yes to both questions. The microfinance institution in question is Akhuwat, a lendwithcare partner. The organisation derives its name from the Arabic word Mwakhwaat or brotherhood and was established in 2001 by Dr Amjad Saqib. It has grown quickly to become one of the largest specialist providers of microloans in Pakistan – it now has almost two hundred thousand active clients, including many non-Muslims, served by more than 250 branches located throughout the country.

Best wishes for 2014 and a massive “Thank you” for your support to lendwithcare

2013 was a busy and at times a challenging year for lendwithcare. It was also a hugely successful one thanks to your continuing support.