WomensTrust

Greetings all,

I wanted to quickly update you on our very busy and productive summer before I leave this Monday, July 30, for Ghana for two weeks!

This trip the Trust will host 11 people:

• Linda Messenger RNP will be returning with two nurses from UMass Worcester, to hold health screenings
• Our two affiliates - World Class and Women's Center - Ofankor - will also be making their second trip with five women between them
• A potential affiliate adopter from San Francisco
• A new friend of the Trust from NYC
• A volunteer from New London, NH who will be piloting his small business development curriculum with our client
• We currently have six interns in Pokuase engaged in a variety of projects with whom I will be meeting:
• Three graduate students from Seattle University doing a community assessment
• A NYU sophomore developing an education program that will be funded by her grandfather's Rotary Club in Jamestown, RI
• Two exceptional high school seniors-to-be from the Derryfield School in Manchester, NH, living with Gertrude, helping our staff and the community nurse, and tutoring school girls.

We have completed the purchase of the land for the resource center (hooray!) - an excellent site right on the main road. And, Dana is just back from a two week trip to Pokuase with N.H. architect Barbara Freeman who will be designing the multipurpose building, working in conjunction with a local Ghanaian builder and engineers.

Team Pokuase is eagerly anticipating the new building. Our 12 x 15 foot office is bulging at the seams with:

• Over 650 loan clients making weekly repayments
• A seemingly steady flow of visitors from the U.S. and Ghana who are eager to observe first hand our successful model and learn our procedures

In addition to our Pokuase clients, the two affiliate programs in the neighboring towns of Amasaman and Ofankor, have nearly 200 loan clients between them. We are very excited with this growth and are delighted to be working with such committed organizations.

Here in Wilmot we have three college interns:

• Sasha Chait of Clark University
• Rachel Strohm of Dartmouth College
• Hayley Durfor of American University.

This dynamic trio are involved in researching related programs and topics, foundation funding, and writing grants.

WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO REPORT that we have received a $10,000 grant award from the United Nations African Mothers Association for the development of the Entrepreneurs Club! This is a HUGE honor as it is awarded by African women to an African project and WomensTrust was chosen this year.

Gertrude had a wonderful trip to the West Coast in May/June where she and Dana were hosted at a series of friend and fund raising events in California, and Gertie visited our Seattle University affiliates on her own for two days. Her three weeks at Southern New Hampshire University's MDI were a lot of fun for her, and very fruitful. She took the marketing track this year which concentrated on value chains and program development, and worked hard for three weeks on case studies with a committed group of international students. The friend of a Nigerian classmate contacted Gertie the other day in Ghana, wanting to come to Pokuase to learn how to replicate our model in her home town in Nigeria.

I know many of you were hoping to visit with Gertie before she left, but her time here was cut short so she could join Dana in Ghana. She did, however, have an opportunity to view some fireworks which was a high priority for her!  She will be back.

Dana and I are looking forward to sharing the details and pictures of our trips with you later this fall.

Have a wonderful rest of the summer.

Warmly,

Susan Kraeger
Executive Director
WomensTrust, Inc.
P. O. Box 15
Wilmot, NH 03287
603 526-4366
501(c)(3)