A Time to Be Thankful
 In our Global News Edition, we bring you stories of what God is doing through his people all over the world, as they serve people and communities by doing kingdom business through SMEs and microfinance. There is much to be thankful for! If you missed our most recent RCE newsletter, we invite you to find out more about what is happening here at the Center.
We trust you'll enjoy reading about what God is doing through Kingdom Business. As always, may it prompt you to praise and pray, and consider how you might join Him in what He is doing around the globe today. Please continue to pray for the Africa Project and for the Center: we are thankful for you and for your investment in prayer.
A Taste of Home
 Reina Ortiz, the owner of Dulcería Abba (Abba Candy Production), makes classic Honduran sweets. A business loan from the Partners Worldwide Honduran affiliate, Stewardship of Christian Ministries, helped Reina and her company overcome many obstacles and become a part of the formal economy, registered with the Honduran government and approved by the Health Department.
To register her business, Ortiz had to meet health inspector regulations, design packaging and negotiate contracts. Now Ortiz’s goals are to increase production, hire employees to monitor product display in supermarkets and sell to immigrants in North America through international distributors of her “nostalgic food.”
Read full story from Partners Worldwide
Copyright © 2008 Partners Worldwide. All Rights Reserved.
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Weaving Reeds Into Livelihood
 Gabriel Odongo Dimba, a client of Opportunity International Kenya, lives in a small fishing town. While most in the area are fishermen, Gabriel makes his living by weaving high quality wicker furniture from reeds and purchases baskets & other wicker items to diversify his stock and attract tourists.
The business provides for Gabriel, his six children, three orphaned young relatives, and a number of day workers who help with the weaving. A loan made it possible to hire additional workers and purchase wood and metal frames used in the highest quality furniture.
Read full story from Opportunity International
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A Sweet Dream
 Vili Husac launched the Trim Line Bakery in 1992. By 2000, the bakery was ripe for expansion but access to capital was a problem. A $30,000 loan from Integra allowed the company to move and increase production. An Integra staffer was able to provide ongoing business training and personal mentoring.
Now Vili employs over 150 people, some of whom are from a local orphanage. Income from the bakery has also allowed Vili to help start a café and bakery in a town close to Serbia that provides employment for women-at-risk. Trim Line Bakery has become a model business enterprise with a clear vision for impacting the community. Vili's purpose is: “First, to help my family; then to help my friends; then to help my church; and then to help my community”.
Read full story from Integra
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MEDA: Making Life Sweeter in Tajikistan
 Ismoil Isokov and his family live in North Tajikistan. Ismoil and his brother received land during the land reform in 1997, and has received counsel and loans from MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) to benefit his farm. As a result he was able to improve the quality and yield of his tomatoes and grapes, and concluded a sales contract for tomatoes with a local processing company. He processes his grapes into raisins and sells them in the local market or in Khujand.
Now Ismoil has applied for a second loan to improve his honey production business. He keeps his bees in the beautiful foothills region of Shakhristan to produce natural mountain honey of exclusive quality, but due to packaging problems, he couldn't find a suitable market for his honey. He has joined a local association of beekeepers, and MEDA will help Ismoil solve his packaging and marketing problems.
Read Ismoil's full story from MEDA
More on MEDA's efforts to help build the market economy in Tajikistan
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Happy Thanksgiving from RCE!
We hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
(L to R: Jason Benedict, Skye Ganba'atar, John Mulford, Jeremiah Koshal (in Kenya),
John C. Rajan; not pictured: Tom Stansbury)
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