"Par tou-e-Noor" - You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

In continuation to my previous post http://zaree.blogspot.com/2010/05/launch-of-par-tou-e-noor.htmlI am sharing details of the project Par tou-e-Noor.

Par tou-e-Noor

Objective:
A pilot project initiated for the purpose of granting interest free loans for micro enterprise and providing professional advice regarding education to the bottom billion i.e. the poorest for sustainable livelihoods.

Par tou-e-Noor shall be operation from the month of July i.e. July 11,2010. I will ensure that the success stories are also uploaded from time to time keeping the privacy of families intact. Following are the details of the products being offered as the first step towards the objective of Par tou-e-Noor.

1. Tiny Ray of Light پرتو ريز

Loan limit: Pk Rs.5,000/- to 15,000/-
Period of Loan : 8 months (Max.)
Frequency of repayment : Bi-monthly/ monthly
Profit Margin : As per mutual agreement between two parties i.e. for purpose of covering the transaction cost only.

The Target segment of this product is the poor who have a little skill and are willing to start a tiny business (within/outside) home. The families refusing to accept charity shall be given priority.


2. Light of Trade نور از تجارت

Loan Limit: Pk Rs.20,000/- to 60,000/-
Period of Repayment : negotiable 18 months (max.)
Frequency of repayment : As per cash flow projected but at least once every month
Profit Margin : As per mutual agreement between two parties in order to cover transaction costs.

Target market: The product is particularly for individuals/ family of existing entrepreneurs not having enough cushion to generate working capital for business expansion. The entrepreneurs engaged in micro enterprise and require capital for making themselves sustainable shall be given preference.
Business type: Embroidery, Handy-craft, stitching/sewing, selling clothes, grocery shops, transportation, Beauty parlors, milk/food business.

The purpose of loan features above is not to enslave the beneficiaries to paper work/ time tables rather it is for purpose of documentation and record. The terms and conditions are negotiable to give hope and divert all efforts for a better future as the name Par tou-e-Noor itself means 'Ray of Light'.

As previously requested in my previous blog post, http://zaree.blogspot.com/2010/05/clarification-regarding-par-tou-e-noor.html
I welcome voluntary, professional help through your mind, heart, skill, time and material from all those who believe in 'we must be the change we all wish to see in the world.'
Email: par.tou.e.noor@gmail.com

Change awaited!!

Philanthropy- with no budget?!

Even though Washington, D.C. resident Reed Sandridge was recently laid off from his job at one of the District's many nonprofit agencies, he has not lost touch with the need to give back.

He wanted to stay true to what his mother always told him—that when you're going through tough times, that's when you most need to give back.

Beginning last December, the 36-year-old began a Year of Giving project. Every day he walks around Washington trying to convince a different person to take $10 from him, GNN.com reports.

He hopes that through his efforts, his sense of altruism will be contagious. According to his website, about 16 percent of recipients of Sandridge's money have, in turn, donated the cash to someone else.

Since he began his Year of Giving project, Sandridge has handed over $1,260 to 126 people he met on sidewalks and coffee shops.
"I never envisioned that it would turn into what it has," Sandridge told the news source. "I'm really no longer in control of it anymore."

Aside from gaining satisfaction by giving back to his community, the traveling philanthropist says his project has allowed him to meet and connect with his Washington neighbors.