Reporting to you from the field!

Dear Supporters,

I can’t believe the 2009 has passed by. It was has been over a year and a half since we have been working together at Namaste! We started this inspiring program in July 2008 and our successes and growth could not have been possible without your support and generosity. Thank you for this incredible partnership. Currently, we have a team of 17 people in Guatemala and 3 people in San Francisco and are continuing to build a great program with measurable and sustainable goals.

We have enrolled 525 clients to provide them monthly business meetings to track their business growth and supply business advice on ways to improve their individual business models and ultimately increase their incomes. It fills my heart with happiness to see clients with their stores a little bit bigger than before. These women have a true sense of empowerment with new learned knowledge of their businesses and how to record their own revenues and expenses. Clients are now even creating new jobs for other women in their communities, which brings new meaning to the word development.


We truly are making a difference! Recording the expenses and revenues of our clients and monitoring their business progress has been an enormous job. We are still facing cultural barriers but nevertheless our credibility and acceptability has increased substantially in the community. I am pleased to report that 66% of our clients have positive cash flows in their businesses. Together we have made this possible. As part of our education program we have also provided Group Business Sessions to develop a sense of community amongst these women and continue to present ways to help them manage and grow their businesses. We have taught 81 sessions of Manage Your Business in Sacatepequez/Chimaltenago, 59 in Quiche, and 133 in Mazatenango. We have given 16 sessions ofHow to Increase your Sales in Sacatepequez/Chimaltenango, 18 in Quiche, 28 in Mazatenango.



All of our clients have appreciated these business sessions. For many women this is the first time they have received any outside perspectives and advice on their businesses. We have provided vocational training in animal husbandry, bakery, marketing, textile design, and handcrafts. Our clients continue to learn innovative ways to earn new income and improve their standards of living.




In November 2009, we also hosted the third conference for Mujeres Empresarias which was a great success. The participation rate was 93% from our clients and partners. Every year our conference grows significantly as clients continue to see the business value and support that Namaste provides. Participants took part in four different workshops: Animal Husbandry, Customer Service, Technology and Networking. For many women, this conference was the first occasion they were away from their homes; the first opportunity they had to interact with other entrepreneurial women in outside regions; and the first time they had the luxury of running water. One of the women told me, “This organization and its people treat us with a lot respect, as if we are important people.” I told her they are important people and do deserve professional treatment and respect. They deserve so much more because they are entrepreneurs taking their futures into their own hands.


It is unbelievable that we are finishing up 2009 - what a year!!! Together we have done so many great things here in Guatemala. Thank you so much for your trust in us. I would like to ask you to keep supporting this project that has let impoverished women increase their income. This is a job that cannot be done without your generosity. Each of us has a role in shaping the future. You are our much needed supporters and we are the workers and implementers. This is a partnership. A partnership of sustainability, which is making an extensive difference in the lives of our borrowers. This organization cannot exist without your contributions. Please donate to honor our hard working women. Any amount of money is appreciated and will greatly impact our role in Guatemala. For your convenience you can donate money through our website: http://www.namaste-direct.org/. We have a lot to do in 2010!


We will be implementing an online database where income information will be recorded to better track our progress. Unquestionably we need your help to make this database a reality. In 2010, we are also planning to launch our Namaste Microcredit project and our hope is to have 250 new clients by the end of 2010. We will challenge the system with a better interest rate which will make our program more attractive for entrepreneurial women living in rural and semi rural areas. We will need to raise $62,500 in order to benefit 250 new women. At the same time, we will continue to provide a monthly business mentorship to each client. Loans will be given based on their businesses plan, to avoid to over-lending money to borrowers, as this is one of the most challenging situations for them. We encourage you to donate $250 for a loan for one woman of these 500 future borrowers. This $250 will be utilized and sustained in the program for 2 loan cycles in a one year period. You can also contribute to the business mentorship component of our program. It costs $500 per women to give business counseling on a monthly basis. With this money they can improve their business effectively with the help of their personal business advisor. I invite you to come to Guatemala and see for your own eyes the differences that we are making together. It is amazing what we can do with a few dollars and a lot of commitment. Namaste is organizing a new donor trip in April and if you are interested to come to Guatemala, please write to our Director of Revenue, Doug Spencer, doug@namaste-direct.org. He will be happy to give you more information about this exciting, eye-opening trip. As the year comes to a close it is incredible to see how far we have come. At the same there is still much that needs to be done to support these impoverished villages. The economic crisis has affected us on many levels, but nevertheless we still have hope, love and dedication to continue increasing the standard of living for our clients and their families. They do not ask for charity but for an investment opportunity. We can give them that investment and educational resources to use this new capital efficiently and effectively. These Guatemalan women want to change their way of life and want to become sustainable businesswomen empowered by the capabilities and opportunities Namaste has given them. Please consider Namaste over the holidays. We thank you again for all of your generosity. From everyone at Namaste, we wish you and your family all the best for this New Year! Sincerely, Nelly