Probable Ending of Project Muni - a summary of many problems (VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL DONORS - READ CAREFULLY)
I have bad news,
Project Muni is most probably about to end. After the second family we tried to help did not succeed with their business, I decided that it`s more effective to put the money in projects, which are already running good or give it back to those people, who donated it, if they want.
Here is the resume:
Family Muni:
Yasmin, the mother of 4 streetchildren, who we opened a tea-shop with, cheated on us after 2 quiet good years. She left her shop and her flat and took the kids out of school. Why excactly she did this involves some speculations:
She had a helping person in the tea-stall, who helped her cooking, this guy left for one week to his village and in this period Yasmin closed the shop. We didn`t understand cause running this kind of shop for one week alone is easy, so we put pressure on her to open it again - she didnt. After we asked her why not, she said, she can not do this alone. We were really shocked, realizing that she either didn`t wanna run the shop alone or during 2 years she was unable to learn the cooking from her helper, although most women in Bangladesh know to cook the dishes they offered easily. After this incident we put pressure on her to learn these cooking skills and become able to run the shop on her own. As well we put pressure on her to pay us back, as we were pretty sure, she is making good money, but tries to give us another impression, so she never has to pay. We figured, that instead of giving her saved money to us, she was giving it to a local money lender to save it for her. We did not understand her behavior, cause she did have not logical reason to trust a local money lender more than us and we agreed before, that we can open up a bank account for her with higher interest than from local money lenders. In the end we wanted to talk to the money lender, which she refused. So our current impression is, that she was afraid to pay us the monthly agreed installments back. Instead she left and even stole our deposit which she actually didn`t have the right to do, cause we signed to renting contract. Anyhow she managed it somehow. Where the family is now and what they are doing we are not really sure, although we know, they are still in the area.
Family Begum
The second family with the mother Begum and her 4 boys living on the street during the day we choosed after 10 interviews with different families in similar situations - all with kids not going to school, but begging on the street. Since I financed Project Muni out of my private pocket the Begum-Family was the first and so far only family we tried to help with the donation money. Together with Begum we decided to open up a groccery shop. It started good but after a while we figured out, that she was not the right person for this business. She had no sense for the customers and also not much passion. It went not good and since now she was not even able to pay the fully rent.
Lesson learned:
Maybe we just choosed the wrong women to start a business with, maybe our organisation, strategy and structure was not good enough - probably a combination of all.
I learned, that it would take a lot more time, energy, money and families for TRYING AGAIN to be successful in the end. Considering the costs of flights and all other expenses for me and my friends it would probably not be efficient.
Since I know 2 very good projects in Bangladesh which working for giving children a brighter future, I would like to give the money to them:
http://www.partenaires-association.org/en/our-work/bangladesh.html
http://www.schoolsin-bd.com/index.php/finanzierung-und-struktur-des-hilfsprojekts.html
If you not agree with that and wanna receive your donated money back, please write me an email. If nobody asks for his or her money within the next month, I take it as a agreement, that you allow me to give your donations to the linked organisations.
Best wishes,
Stefan