June was a busy month for us as we established 6 new Village Banks (as well as a few that are in process). Phrao and Mae Taeng are becoming very popular areas for our programs. Most of the villagers are Thais, not hilltribe groups but some individual members are ethnic minorities. The groups of women are quite diverse - young, elderly, physically challenged, small market vendors, farmers, living with HIV and housewives. This month, 134 new members were added to our list. All members are saving monthly and most of them have received their first loan from Common Interest as well. During June, we ended up disbursing 665 000 baht to the 6 new villages. Pictured below are a few of our new groups:

Baan Nong On (Mae Taeng)

Baan Pa Ji is our newest Village Bank in Chiang Mai. The group contacted us in early May about working in their village group. The group is different than our other villages because all members are living with the HIV virus. Village members have told us that they face a lot of discrimination and isolation because of it. In matters of money, most cannot obtain loans because nobody is willing to act as a guarantor. It is also commonly thought that people living with HIV cannot work - thus a business loan would obviously not work.

However; the members in Baan Pa Ji are fighting these stereotypes. This group of 17 work and some are even becoming successful in their small businesses and farms. Most of the women are market traders and the rest are mostly farmers. There are also a few men in the group. One man, Khun Manus, lost his job as a police officer once it was known that he was HIV positive. The women have allowed these men to join them in their savings and loan group.

After several weeks of successfully saving together, Common Interest provided this group with a 6 month loan of 85 000 baht ($2600 USD) to expand their small enterprises. We wish them well!

(Photo supplied by Village Group)