Lessons from Dunham’s life work have inspired us, at CPAR Uganda and have provided us with affirmation of the importance and relevance of our “Uganda women’s economic empowerment loan fund” project.

“Ann Dunham considered peasants just as important a people as those of high rank,” Professor Alice Dewey, her mentor, is quoted as having observed. With such an ‘Ubuntu perspective’, it is no wonder Dunham:

“In her groundbreaking work in the developing world, a lifelong study of rural blacksmithing traditions in Indonesia, she was able to show that much of the rural poverty in the region was due to a lack of resources, rather than cultural differences with the West, which was the prevailing theory at the time.” Fascinating (@fasc1nate) on X

In addition to academically bursting such myths located in cultural imperialism, Dunham went a step further to offer practical solutions for the fight against poverty in such marginalized and under-served communities.

“In an effort to alleviate the hardship associated with peasant industries, she constructed a model of micro-financing which is now the standard in Indonesia, a country that is a world leader in micro-credit systems. With grants from the Ford Foundation and loans from the World Bank, she worked with many NGO’s to help rural people get loans to launch small enterprises.” BBC World Service in Dreams from my Mother

“She joined Indonesia’s oldest bank to work on what was described as the world’s largest sustainable microfinance program to assist poor farmers and rural entrepreneurs with credit and savings projects. While Dunham didn’t invent microfinancing, she was recognized for her keen ability to bridge the gap between peasant village workers and the financial institutions she persuaded to provide financial support.” Paula Bender in Legacy of the President’s Mother

Ultimately, our target is to access income generating loans to disadvantaged women in poor urban areas as well as in rural areas.

We need your help to make access to income generation loans a reality for these women.

Please, click here to make a donation and also help us to spread the word to others in your networks encouraging them to make a donation.

Profiled photo is of Stanley Ann Dunham, with her son Barak Obama @ ati