Former Foreign Secretary Visits Chiswick Charity

Sir Malcolm Rifkind joins Mary Macleod at Microloan Foundation

Local Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Mary Macleod was joined by former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC on a visit to the Chiswick-based charity Microloan Foundation this week.

The two met some of the foundation’s staff and we told how micro finance is being used to help small groups of women in Sub-Saharan Africa set up and run their own businesses.
“We were really pleased to have such genuine interest in our work by Mary Macleod and Sir Malcolm Rifkin,” said Peter Ryan, CEO and Founder of the MicroLoan Foundation.

The charity aims to help the poorest of the poor to help themselves in order to change their lives for the better. It makes small loans, starting at £25, which help poor women in rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa to set up self-sustainable businesses and look after their families. 99% of the money is repaid in full.

Peter continued, “We have always seen our role as enabling as many people as possible to help themselves. MicroLoan is rapidly expanding to meet the growing demand in Africa and needs many new supporters to help make change possible on the ground”.

To find out more about the MicroLoan Foundation’s work see www.microloanfoundation.org.uk or call 020 8827 1691.

April 28, 2010