My wife Linda and I are involved in the automotive business in southern Manitoba. One of the many things we appreciate about MEDA is the way we are encouraged to connect faith with workplace and vice versa. But there is a lot more to MEDA than that.

In 2001, we started a non profit organization called Build a Village in response to the earthquakes that devastated El Salvador in January and February of that year.
Build a Village has taken us into some of the poorest villages in countries like El Salvador, Jordan and Egypt in a partnership with MCC, Habitat for Humanity and others.

One of the things that has struck me during our time in these communities is the fact that people around the world, no matter what their current economic situation or religious beliefs, have similar hopes and dreams. We want our children to get an education, we want to be able to live in peace, and many of us want to start a business of our own.

The other thing I have been struck by is the fact that most of the people we have met work harder than I do and have more of an entrepreneurial spirit than I do. Many are smarter business people than I am but they simply do not have the opportunities I have had. If they want to start or expand a business they do not have a credit union or bank that will consider a loan. They do not have potential investors they can call on. Often people need a few hundred dollars to turn an idea, a dream, into a viable business that will provide for their family and others.

And that is exactly what MEDA does. MEDA provides the seed money to turn dreams into viable businesses for thousands of people around the world every year. We are happy to support that.