The Last SAMA-rui

So, today was our last day in Vietnam. Today was also the day I learned of Sama's family tree (some what). This made me think of a rather excellent nick name for her, the last sama-rui. But I digress.

Our last day in Vietnam was a little sad. We made so many new friends, people we will never forget. People who dropped everything to come say bye to us. I am forever grateful for everything our Vietnamese friends have done for us during this trip.

Yesterday, Friday, was our last "business" day for this trip. We traveled to the Mekong Delta to visit a credit union. We visited the home of a man who is part of group borrowing. We learned about their operations and how group lending works. Myself, Dr. Sama and Alina all had the light bulb spark in our heads thinking, "maybe we can help through a group loan here in Vietnam." What was special about this visit is that we needed to take motor bikes into the village. Yes, Dr. Sama herself, looking all Vietnamese with her conical hat, reluctantly sat on the back of a motorbike for our trip. And who would have thought, she absolutely loved it!

After we spoke with the group we had lunch and then visited the house of a very poor man part of the group lending. This man has polio and is disabled. He makes bamboo baskets for a living, with an income of $1 per day. Yes, $1. $1 a day to feed his family, consisting of himself, his wife, and his 2 young children. But, I think it is looking very hopeful that GLOBE will extend him a loan! We will receive his application at some point during the summer. We will look to lend him $300 dollars to purchase a machine that cuts the bamboo to make the baskets. This will not only make the job easier on this disabled man, but it will lead him to be more productive, and hopefully provide for his family more than he does now.

I can't say it enough; this trip was a huge success. We will be coming home with applications, and our ties with Vietnam will shortly begin. This is a great step forward for GLOBE. Our operations will spread from home in the United States, through Africa and all the way on the other side of the world in Vietnam. It is such a great feeling that I directly helped in the process of gaining these ties. I am excited for future GLOBE managers to start reviewing applications and to begin the process of lifting people out of poverty.

This was a truly remarkable trip; a trip that I will never forget. It was a short trip, but great nonetheless. A big success!

Good riddance,
Marco