Rotary Microcredit Projects in Sonora Mexico
Update Hermosillo, Sonora October 14/15, 2016
By Terry Lubsen
District 5510 Microcredit Project Coordinator
 
Hola Rotarians:
 
A group of Rotarians from Arizona went to check out the Microcredit (MC) program Rotary has been working on in Hermosillo since 2014.  Terry Lubsen, District 5510 coordinator of the MC project in Sonora, Mexico, led a group of Rotarians from District 5500 and 5510 to meet with the host club, Pitic RC in Hermosillo Mexico on the weekend of October 14/15th.
 
The objective of these quarterly trips is to bring better understanding to AZ Rotarians of the benefits the program is having on the poor entrepreneurs in Hermosillo.  The host club, Club Rotario Hermosillo Pitic, met with us as well as the partner financial company (Financiera Regional-FinReg) who administrates the program for Rotary. The trip included a group meeting and going direct to Hermosillo’s barrios to see a sampling of our grant money in action, to see and speak to the borrowers in their home and places of work.
 
Currently, Rotary has two grants working in Hermosillo.  The grants are #1419570 for $102,000 and #1528479 for $85,000.  The Grants are funded by Rotarians’ in all three Rotary Districts in Arizona, and The Rotary Foundation.   The average loan amount is $400 dollars.  The loans have an excellent repayment rate averaging 98.5%.  The borrowers are primarily women (over 90%) and are very dependable in repaying their loans.
 
The following Rotary leaders from Arizona were on this trip: Michael Drake PDG&District 5500 Foundation Chair; Barb Feder PDG&District 5510 Grants Chair; Abe Feder PDG& District 5510 International Projects Chair; Terry Lubsen PP & District 5510 Microcredit Program Chair; along with Caryn Bustos PP, Jay Ofori-D’iallo PP, and Dan Stringham PP all from Tucson Sunrise Rotary Club.
 
 
Front Row: Michale Drake, Gertie Agraz (FingReg), Barb Feder, Abe Feder. Back row: Jay Ofori, Caryn Bustos, Dan Stringham, Juan Baca (FinReg), Terry Lubsen, “Bob” Victor Bobadilla (President of Pitic Rotary) Sergio Salazar ( Secretary Pitic Club)