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Microfinance and the Adelante Foundation Mission
"Adelante"
in English means "forward" or "progress." Our mission is to improve
the standard of living of the extreme poor in Honduras. To do that, we
provide very poor women in rural Honduras the opportunity they so
desperately seek-to build a better life for themselves and their
families-through a lending model called microfinance.
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Nine years and almost 60,000 loans later: Adelante means "progress"
by Desirae Wrathall
This autumn marked the 9th anniversary of the Adelante Foundation. Looking back over the years, the organization is very proud of how far they have come.
 It was eleven years ago that Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, washing away hopes, homes and livelihoods. The country was left in dire need of assistance. Out of this tragedy was conceived an idea to help the country's poorest population.  This idea grew into a plan and soon after, gave birth to what is now the Adelante Foundation. Within months of the disaster, the wheels of the Adelante began turning, as Founder, Tony Stone began working diligently studying methodology and putting together a plan. By autumn 2000, the first loans were put into the hands of three women living in a rural north coast village - Adelante's first clients.
 The idea of giving loans to such poverty stricken individuals, especially women, was a new concept for Honduras. Kim Stone, Adelante's first Director of Development explains, "These first three clients were extremely poor. The Adelante credit officer, new to the methodology, thought the women were too poor to pay back the loans, so he found another person in the village with a business to join the group: a man. After four weeks the man stopped paying! The three women covered for him! They took from him the scale that he had bought with the loan and shared it amongst themselves. This was a great lesson to us about striving to reach the poorest." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT HOW WE STARTED |
Adelante employees: The true "spirit" of the institution
by Desirae Wrathall
Clients are not the only people affected by the work the Adelante Foundation is doing. The employees are also influenced. As one employee said: "The enthusiasm of the women we serve rubs off. It is impossible not to be moved by it. The work being done for the poor is inspiring." Let's hear what other Adelante employees have to say.
 Olvin Cruz, 28 years old, has worked at Adelante Foundation for five years in the education dept, designing educational materials. He is currently working on a bachelor's degree in graphic design. Olvin says, "The best thing about working here is knowing that you are doing something important and helping others. Adelante is helping the poorest people. I love Adelante's mission. It is what motivates us here. It is what we work for."  Elsy Munguia has worked for the Adelante Foundation for seven years and has seen many changes to the organization. Elsy recalls, "Back when I started working here, there were only twenty of us. Now there are more than forty. We've expanded and opened many new offices throughout the country, but even though the number of employees has grown, we still keep in good contact and feel very close. I've always felt taken care of here at Adelante. Tony and the other board members look out for each of us and are interested in us as individuals. We are a family." Elsy's favorite part of working for the organization is when she has the chance to go out into the field. "I love meeting the women that work with us. They are friendly, open, loving people and they transmit these qualities to us. They are poor, they have so little, but they dance, they laugh and they radiate their strength. It gives me motivation to move forward and be happy in my own life, in spite of difficulties."
 Ethel Mejia is the branch office supervisor in the region of Intibuca. She relates a story about one of her favorite clients: "Fidelina Hernandez is a woman with whom I have become very close. Her story has moved and inspired me. She lives in the small village of San Miguelito, Intibuca. When we met, she lived in a one room adobe house with a dirt floor and made ends meet by selling tamales and bread in the street. For many years she dreamt of finding help from an organization like Adelante. When Adelante came to her village, handing out flyers, she jumped on the opportunity and, as a strong community leader, she brought many other new clients with her. With her first loan from Adelante for L2000 she started a small pulperia (corner store). After two years, her loan has increased to L7300 and her business has grown into a large store. She has made enough money to build a larger home with a cement floor and a strong sturdy roof. Here, she and her daughter and grandchild now live comfortably." |
 Photograph of the Month
Daughters of our clients at an assembly meeting in a small mountain community just outside the city of Yoro.
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