What Does Namaste (na'-ma-stay) Mean-
Namaste is a traditional greeting in many parts of the world, especially the East. Derived from Sanskrit, an English translation is “I bow to the divine in you."
What Namaste Direct Does-
Namaste Direct is unique from other microloan programs in that they have a very specific target group. They aim to help women in rural areas of Central America. They say they are "committed to alleviating poverty in the Mayan communities in Guatemala and Mexico by providing microcredit loans, business education, and vocational training to women."
Namaste's History-
In 1973 Bob Graham, a businessman from California visited Guatemala, where he was awestruck by the extreme poverty that its inhabitants endure everyday. A decade later he created the Katalysis Partnership to launch his "50-50 at 50" plan. His plan was that when he turned 50 he would devote 50% of his time and 50% of his resources to helping others. Namaste Direct is the successor program to Katalysis. Katalysis Partnership has expanded into Katalysis Microfinance Network of Central America. This is a regional non-profit organization that involves 13 intermediary credit providers and helps over 180,000 borrowers, totalling over $60 million in loan capitol in four countries.
More Information-
For more information on the programs and services provided by Namaste Direct visit their website at; http://www.namaste-direct.org/
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