Page 4 - SPBD Businesswoman of the Year Award 2023

SPBD

A MESSAGE FROM GREG CASAGRANDE

Founder and President, SPBD Microfinance Network

resilient in the times
Making a positive social impact is deeply in the DNA of all of major storms and it
things SPBD. From our mission and vision statements to the makes for a healthier
design of our products and services, to the design of all our home.
operating procedures, to our human resources recruitment
and training systems, to the selection and development of our SPBD believes in
key external partnerships, the planning and delivery in making investing in the next
a positive social impact is embedded in everything we do. generation and the
best way to do this is
SPBD is all about providing meaningful economic
opportunities to hardworking and aspiring women micro- to provide unsecured
entrepreneurs in Fiji and across the broader Pacific. To credit for childhood
achieve this mission, SPBD provides a wide mix of training, education. SPBD also
unsecured credit, savings, and insurance services that are believes that a tertiary
specifically designed for and delivered in a uniquely tailored education should not
manner to meet the specific needs and challenges facing rural be beyond the hopes
village-based Pacific Island women entrepreneurs. and dreams of any
child of any SPBD
SPBD provides each of our members with an ongoing mix member, which is why
of small business training, financial literacy education, and SPBD is a major funder of tertiary tuition expenses as well.
ongoing guidance, motivation, and handholding services
to ensure that their businesses become a success. These With SPBD, clients can make savings deposits, even in very
services are provided each week, in the form of over 1,800 tiny amounts, at their local weekly village-based Centre
village-based meetings. In Fiji, SPBD conducts meetings in meetings, which is convenient. Their savings accumulate
over 450 villages each and every week of the year. To date, and build, unlike with commercial banks, which erode their
SPBD has provided hundreds of hours of training to each of savings deposits through a never-ending set of ongoing fees.
our over 120,000 women micro-entrepreneurs that we have SPBD members are becoming significant businesspeople
served over the years. in each of their respective villages. And as such, they are
spending significantly on their own business supplies
No other group, organisation, church, government industry, and other business inputs. And so, other local businesses
foreign aid programme is providing ongoing training, are also indirectly benefiting from the overall increased
guidance, and support to rural micro-entrepreneurs on a business activity being generated and spurred on by SPBD
scale anywhere close to what SPBD is doing.
entrepreneurs.
SPBD does much more than just training and preparing
women to be micro-entrepreneurs. We help them realise their SPBD also builds and enhances the self-esteem of all
entrepreneurial dreams and ambitions by providing them members. Our ladies are winners. They are investing in
the very scarce, unsecured credit so that they can make the themselves and in their families. Their efforts and their
upfront investments needed to launch and scale their small achievements are tremendous and they don’t go unnoticed.
businesses. The children of our members consistently see that their Mom
is a winner. This, in turn, leads to increased ambition, self-
But of course, SPBD does not stop there. Once our clients confidence, drive, motivation in the next generation.
have successfully launched their microenterprise and have
paid down the first loan, they are then eligible to receive To the members, running a small business, as you all know,
further financing that either expand their business or to is very emotionally challenging. There can be significant
make basic housing improvements or to invest in childhood temptation to give up and quit. Form relationships with other
education. entrepreneurs so that together, you listen, help, and inspire
one another. You build a collective resilience to keep forging
With regards to housing improvements, SPBD provides forward and keep growing your business.
financing for getting a proper concrete foundation. We invest As Helen Keller, the extraordinary accomplished, deaf and
in getting a proper roof so that the contents of the home blind woman, once said, “Alone, we can do so little. Together,
always stay dry. We invest in getting proper sanitation. We we can do so much.”
invest in getting access to clean running piped water. We
invest in getting access to electricity. Making a home more I want all of you to know that I am so proud of you. Keep up
durable, via these investments, makes a home far more the great work and keep your dreams alive. Vinaka vakalevu.

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