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For
an Angel Fund outside Canterbury Click here
Our April 2012 newsletter is now available. Click
here to read. Look out for Jess's shop Pearl White at 325 Barbadoes
Street.
Contact Details
The Angel Fund works from home - you can text me on 022 41ANGEL (022
4126435) or ph 358-8495. Or send an email to info@angelfund.org.nz
Check out Next Step Centre for Women Term
2 courses
Julianne Pearce who looks after our website is offering a FREE mini-course
called Top Tips
for using Youtube in business.
Angel Fund
– Wahine Putea (Christchurch) is a women’s small loan fund that lends small
amounts (typically up to $500) to women in the Christchurch and Canterbury
area who are on a low income and have difficulty accessing credit from
traditional sources.
Loans are for:
*Small/home
business start up costs
*Training
courses, seminars and further education
*Transition
to work expenses.
Angel Fund
also offers members some business support, newsletters,
opportunities to meet with other borrowers and a savings
scheme.
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Angel Fund - Wahine Putea aims to
create opportunities which enable women on low incomes to work towards
financial independence. The loan fund is administered by a co-ordinator,
Koa Saxby. Loan decisions are made by the committee. Current committee
members are: Lynne Prattley, Mary Miller, Karen Erkkila and Maya Dannan. |
click on cropped images below
to see full picture
above:Kiri
Coordinater & committee
members pictured with
Gwenyth Wright, founding Angel
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Since the first loan in 1995 until
Feb 2012, over 400 loans have been made and over $160,000 of loans paid
out and repaid. Defaults are few and so it is like the original loan pool
has been loaned and repaid 15 or 16 times over. In recent time about
80% of the loans are for business, 15% for education and 5% for transition
to work expenses.
The Christchurch Angel Fund started
in 1995 and was modeled on the Wellington Women’s Loan Fund, which began
operating in 1992. A group of Christchurch women from enterprise
agencies, community groups, City Council, and interested individuals
met to discuss setting up a Fund similar to the Wellington one.
The group knew that many low income
women did not have access to credit for small loans which would allow them
to move towards economic independence. They also knew that
women’s incomes are generally lower than men’s, that the incomes
of Maori are lower than those of non-Maori and that women are over-represented
in lower income groups.
The description “Angels”
was borrowed from Broadway where, when a Show was about to close because
money was needed, the person who provided finance became known as
an “Angel”. Hence, women who lend money to “on-lend” are referred
to as “Angels”.
Research Paper
Click here for Suzy Marsh's paper Mico-credit:
Can it Empower Women in Developed Countries? Suzy has been a key note speaker
at a couple of Women's Loan Fund conference's. Her research is ongoing
and this paper is from 2011.
The Angel Fund gratefully acknowledges
the support of:
The
Canterbury Community Trust, Community
Organisation Grants Scheme, Lion
Foundation, The United Way,
Dove Charitable Trust (who supported development of this web site), Pub
Charity, NZ Charitable Trust, Zonta Club of Christchurch North and
all our donating, lending and saving Angels.
PO Box 4232
Christchurch / Otautahi
Ph: 358 8495 or text 022
4126435 or 366 9978 (to leave message at CSBEC for Angel Fund)
Email:
info@angelfund.org.nz |
