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PWRDF strikes a match for entrepreneurial women

Maria Júlio Moreira used her CCM Pemba loan to start a small restaurant.

July 19, 2017

By Janice Biehn

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Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor to The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), every dollar raised by participants in Ride for Refuge 2017 will be matched, to a maximum of our $30,000 goal.

“This is very exciting for us,” says Carolyn Vanderlip, Director, Canadian Anglican Partnership Programs, PWRDF, who oversees the Ride every year. “We have the potential to triple our impact for women entrepreneurs in Mozambique seeking affordable microfinance loans.”

Currently, PWRDF supports 50 women through CCM de Pemba, a credit cooperative providing a safe place for women to keep their savings and access low-interest loans for small businesses. Profits are reinvested in their businesses and in their families, accessing potable water, food, shelter, clothing and education.  Adult women – almost 70% of whom are illiterate – learn to read at night school. All of this means women are empowered to become full partners in decision-making for their families and their communities as a whole.

PWRDF’s ambitious goal for the 2017 Ride for Refuge is to raise $30,000 to support an additional 50 women in accessing these opportunities. In reaching that goal – along with the matching opportunity – we will raise $60,000, bringing the total number of women assisted to 150.

Tripling our impact will have a ripple effect for these women, their families, their communities and Mozambique. More women will learn critical life, literacy, and business skills, increasing opportunities not only for themselves but for their families and communities to take the first crucial steps up and out of a cycle of systemic poverty.

The 2017 Ride for Refuge takes place on Saturday, September 30, in cities across Canada. You can bike, walk, or do something else entirely. To learn more about the Ride and to register your team, visit www.rideforrefuge.org and sign up today!

Ride for Refuge can be a walk, a rollerblade, or an event of your choosing. For more information about creating a customized Ride for Refuge experience in your community, contact Cheryl Denomy, PWRDF Donor Relations and Fundraising Coordinator, at 416.924.9199/1.866.308.7973, extension 306, or by e-mail at [email protected].