Digital Update from the Philippines: Lorena’s pig farm
In November 2019, we first reported on Lorena and her small pig farm. At that time, she received a microloan from GMI, which she used to purchase her first animal to start her […]
With success to the next generation
4 years passed since Perpetua became self-employed with her own sari-sari store. Perpetua is a 70-year-old retired high school teacher. Besides fulfilling her dream with her own shop, she was also able to take […]
New areas of making business and possibilities thanks to GCash
We have successfully enabled access for GCash to our microloan borrowers. This was part of our digital initiative. Mobile banking in rural areas where we help people is not as common as for in […]
What does sustainable development aid look like?
9th grade students at the Paul Gerhardt School in Kahl am Main. The students of the M branch of the middle school look with interest at the digital board. A video shows scenes […]
General meeting with surprise guest and board elections
Live from the Philippines, our project manager Anthony Agones was present at this year’s virtual general meeting. Anthony offered the enthusiastic audience exciting insights into his work and personal experiences on site. While […]
Financial independence for Indonesian women – International Women’s Day in Indonesia
The aid organization Global Micro Initiative e.V., based in Hösbach, shows how women in Indonesia make a valuable contribution to the local economy and finance their families with their own income. Even a […]
Reliable supply for neighbours with a delivery service during the ongoing corona pandemic
| Place: | Denpasar, Indonesia |
| Age: |
Working at dizzying heights – no problem for Bagus
| Place: | Badung, Bali, Indonesia |
| Age: | 24 |
| Business: | Internet-Installation |
| Loan: | IDR 2 Mil./117 € |
Bagus is a 24-year-old man who lives in Badung – […]
Reaching even more people with combined expertise
Starting in the beginning of 2019, when the cooperation with our former partner organization on Bali named WKP Foundation ended, we were looking for new ways to continue our work in the capital […]
How mobile payments are helping our entrepreneurs during quarantine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our participants are finding that Gcash Send Money is the easiest and fastest way to transfer money, whether it’s to send or remit money to loved ones or to […]
Increased satisfaction due to own online shop sales
Nurul Aini is aged 22 and lives together with her mother-in-law and her two daughters aged 7 and 2 on the island of Lombok in Indonesia.
Nuruls husband is in Malaysia as a […]
Do you pay attention to security on the Internet?
Online shopping and online banking with a smartphone are routine for most people in Germany these days. However, the situation is completely different for small businesses in the poor regions of Southeast Asia. […]
Within the Pandemic – Newly granted microloans in Lombok
We were able to grant new microloans in Lombok after several months of delay with payouts. Our microloan participants in Indonesia´s island Lombok are severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions […]
How to celebrate? – Christmas in the Philippines
A colorfully decorated fir tree, snow on the roofs, contemplative music, the whole family at a beautifully decorated table and presents for young and old – that’s how Christmas looks like for most […]
Women in Lombok: Empowerment through Microloans
Muliana, a 20-year-old Indonesian woman from a small village named Kelayu runs her own shop in a male-dominated area. A few months before she had to walk a long way through mud and a […]
Lombok: Empowering Women
Gender equality and women’s rights are written in capital letters in Indonesia, at least in the constitution. In reality however, the situation is often different. Women continue to be disadvantaged, and socially and structurally […]
Impact Study – Indonesia
For some it might just be the amount of a new pair of shoes which equivalently can be the basis for others to live a better life. To improve the life of a single […]
Anthony
Would you like to know who is running our projects in the Philippines, in Indonesia or in Thailand and who makes sure that you know what happened to your donation? Then you have come […]
Do you have your own bank account?
If you´re from Germany and answer this question with “yes “, then you belong to the 82.3 million population for whom it´s natural to have an own bank account. Having a bank account […]
Success Story: Susana
Susana hat schon immer hart gearbeitet und war unternehmerisch aktiv. Neben Polvoron, einem weichen und krümeligen Schmalzgebäck, welches ursprünglich aus Spanien kommt, verkaufte sie auch Atchara, eine Gurke, die aus unreifer Papaya geschält wird. […]
International Volunteer’s Day
“Without a team of volunteers, our work in Southeast Asia would not be possible,” says Tobias Schüßler, founder of Global Micro Initiative e.V.
The “International Day of Volunteers for Economic and Social Development”, also known […]
Virtually Connected: First Webminar held in the Philippines
The Corona crisis is also driving the digitalization of our processes and activities at GMI and our partner organization Project Life. In addition to enabling online […]
Anto
| Place: | Pringgasela, East- |
Update from Indonesia
Our aim to open a bank account for all of our microloan participants is progressing during September. The representatives of our partner organization “Gema Alam” regularly visit our microloan participants. During these visits our […]
Update: a bank account for all participants
Unser neues Großprojekt „Ein Bankkonto für alle“ ist gestartet. Wir sind froh, dass die ersten drei Kleinunternehmerinnen aus Indonesien nun Besitzerinnen eines Bankkontos sind.
Unser Digital Ambassador, […]
Romagyn
| Place: | Baloy Beach, Olongapo City, Philippines |
| Age: | 37 |
| Business: |
Maria Romina
| Place: | Zambales, Philippines |
| Age: | 22 |
| Business: | Secondhand Shop |
International Day of Coffee
“25 years ago, my father brought the first coffee seeds, Robusta Kantim, to our village of Beririjarak. He had participated in government training courses for coffee and cocoa farmers and had started growing Robusta. […]
Meet our Volunteer: Anja
Our author Anja schould already be known to our dililgent readers. Anja has been writing program participants’ success stories and other stories for our website for nearly four years, making her the longest […]
Interview Silvia
“Volunteering is an integral part of my life.”
Silvia – Co-Founder and Member of the Board
There are few GMI members, donors or GMI volunteers who have not […]
Interview Marion
“We love what we do and we take our commitment very personally”
Marion – Co-Founder and Member of the Board
September 2014: The young student and Tobias got to know each other during their joint study […]
Interview with Tobias
People who have to live in and from garbage – At the age of 18, after graduating from high school, Tobias spent two years with an aid organization in Southeast Asia. In the […]
Indonesia: Digital Opportunities for all Participants
Global Micro Initiative´s microloans in South East Asia were paid out by cash. This method of granting a loan isn’t only complex but also impossible due […]
D’arr
| Place: | Olongapo City, Philippines |
| Age: | 28 |
| Business: | Sari-Sari Store |
| Loan: | 90 € |
A Sari-Sari store […]
Philippines: Mobile Payments
A big part of South East Asia’s population already lived in poverty prior the ongoing pandemic. The lockdowns worsened the situation… But some of our microloan participants could sustain their small businesses and adjusted […]
Covid: impact on our entrepreneurs
In March 2020 the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared as a pandemic and spread across the globe. Many of our programs´ participants are from Indonesia – which already has taken its toll from […]
Sewing Trainings
Global Micro Initiative cooperates with many partners in South East Asia. One of our partners is Project Life Subic with its qualitative training program in the Philippines. Many trainees acquire useful skills in processing […]
Masks by Farmi
COVID-19 poses enormous challenges for the population of Indonesia. To counteract these, the people in Southeast Asia are working together to find solutions for the current situation. One of them is the small entrepreneur […]
Donate by Shopping Online Part II
Amazon is the new shopping google. Everyone knows Amazon, but who knows smile.amazon?
This is THE opportunity to donate money through Amazon shopping and it works without any additional costs for the buyer! With each […]
Karya
| Place: | Pancor, East-Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 32 |
| Business: | Electronics Repair S |
Amaq
| Place: | East-Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 51 |
| Business: | Warung |
| Loan: | 60 € |
Amaq Meng lives together with his […]
“Eid-al-fitr”
Indonesia is the country with the highest Muslim population in the world. Many Muslims around the world including Indonesian Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan. The most important holiday is “Eid Al-Fitr” […]
Nurjani
| Place: | East-Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 37 |
| Business: | Food Stall |
| Loan: | 56 € |
An own small food stall […]
Demah
| Place: | East-Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 50 |
| Business: | Store |
| Loan: | 56 € |
Demah is an Indonesian woman, 50 years old […]
Networking Event in Lombok
Through microcredits and training, we at GMI want to help people in Southeast Asia live a better and more self-determined life. With this financial support, our participants are able to become financially independent and […]
Supriadi
| Place: | East-Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 33 |
| Business: | Poultry Food |
| Loan: | 130 € |
Supriadi and his wife are parents of one son and one daughter. To […]
Women’s Day Celebration
On March 2, 2020, 11 aspiring women and our GMI representatives Anthony, Gilbert and Melinda came together to celebrate the International Women’s Day at the Project Life Subic Center in the Philippines. This year’s […]
Sohrini
| Place: | Wanasaba, Indonesia |
| Age: | 45 |
| Business: | Food Peddler |
| Loan: | 129 € |
Sohrini never knows what her day will be like. […]
Empowering Women in Lombok through Microcredit
“Women don’t have the same opportunities on Lombok as men,” Haiziah Gazali Zicko tells us. “They don’t have the same educational opportunities, so they don’t have the same chances of finding a good job. […]
Journey to Lombok
Our founder Tobias was in Indonesia again. Here he tells you about his impressions:
“Lombok. These six letters do not only belong to one of the top 5 travel destinations in Indonesia, but have also […]
Farmi
| Place: | Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 38 |
| Business: | Production and Selling of Snacks |
| Loan: | 64 € |
Two years […]
Rohmatulloh
| Place: | Selong, |
Nini
What is it like living on Lombok as an honorary? What difficulties arise on site? What is it like to interact with the local people both linguistically and culturally? These and more questions were […]
Awaludin
| Place: | Beririjarak, Indonesia |
| Age: | 37 |
| Business: | Food production |
| Loan: | 67 € |
Some organisations only lend micro loans to women to support them on their […]
200 Micro loans!
| Place: | Lombok, Indonesia |
| Age: | 39 |
| Business: | Food Production |
| Loan: | 140 € |
Enabling poor people to lead […]
Anthony – Persönlich
A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Anthony Agones and his path to our partner organization Project Life Subic. But who exactly is this person?
Anthony is 25 years old and currently lives in […]
Entrepreneur’s Lunch
Recently it was time once again: Our Entrepreneur’s Lunch in the Philippines took place!
In an informal setting, current micro-borrowers and interested parties can exchange ideas, listen to interesting lectures and gain exciting insights into […]
The Importance of Sewing
Sewing – the grand art of repairing old clothes or even creating new ones. Talking about sewing makes me inevitably think of my grandmother. I would think of all the times my grandma patched […]