Hand up, not handout

I need to get away from referendum threads and (prompted by seeing a deleted post on a thread about sponsored children) I thought I'd ask if anyone is involved in micro-loan initiatives? I've made 49 of these loans so far and overall have lent £1000; more than half the amount I've lent so far has already been repaid and been reinvested. I only lend to women and it's usually only between £10 - £30 at a time, but I find it very rewarding and there's a real sense of celebration when loans are repaid and I know that a family is a step closer to becoming self-sufficient.

I lend through Deki because I am so impressed with their young founder, Vashti Seth, but other organisations run similar schemes.