I have to give a holla back to my hometown, Madison, Wisconsin this week. Madison has never let me down in terms of being at the forefront of progressive movements – like microfinance. This time, “Seeds of Change” is coming to the Pyle Center, a new photography exhibit that highlights the work of Working Capital for Community Needs or WCCN, a local microfinance organization. In the past, the work of Michael Kienetz has captured the violence and brutality of the civil and revolutionary wars in Latin America during the 70’s and 80’s. Fortunately, today, these regions are much quieter and Kienetz now showcases a different, but equally important struggle: the fight against poverty.
In his most recent exhibit, “Seeds of Change” Kienetz’s photos demonstrate his admiration for the work of WCCN. Since 1984, when WCCN was known as the Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua, this organization has been working to establish a healthy relationship between the North and the South regions of North America. Nicaragua began as their region of choice because Wisconsin and Nicaragua were officially ordained sister states by the Alliance for Progress in the 1960’s.
As of today, WCCN has changed its name to reflect the expansion of its operations. Working Capital for Community Needs now includes a microloan fund for beginning entrepreneurs in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and to provide a holistic approach to poverty alleviation, WCCN’s initiatives also include fair trade efforts, women’s empowerment, and the construction of housing establishments. A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, a photographer’s words are worth more than the picture.
“16 dollars is all it takes,” Kienetz told the Wisconsin State Journal. “Many of the borrowers owned medium-sized businesses,but what I found the most interesting were those who were so poor that they needed as little as $16 to get themselves out of poverty by buying a couple chickens or starting a tortilla-making operation.” And most of the time, it worked.
If you live in the Madison area, or are looking for a long holiday, you can check out Kienetz’s “Seeds of Change” exhibit here:
The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street
Exhibit through November 15
$10 suggested donation, $5 suggested student donation
Working Capital for Community Needs
WCCN partners with individuals and organizations in Latin America and the U.S. to build sustainable economic opportunities that help people work their way out of poverty.
- Organization Type: Non-Profit
- Website: http://capitalforcommunities.org/
- Executive Director(s): Carlos Arenas
- Founded: 1984
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
- See complete company list here
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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