Nehemiah
Foundation International provides assistance to poor farmers
Nehemiah
Foundation International (NFI) is a not-for-profit organization
dedicated to rebuilding hope for subsistence farmers in rural
Filipino villages. Subsistence farming is the primary economic
activity in regions of the Philippines. For centuries the Filipino
people have used primitive farming techniques and have been
victimized by absorbent financing and the unpredictable climate. It
is NFI’s goal to alleviate the long term poverty by agricultural
education, providing access to affordable modern machinery and low
interest loans.
Nehemiah
Foundation International provides loans
NFI’s mission
is to raise the standard of living of Filipino farmers from
subsistence level to stable and sustainable economic health.
Predatory lenders prevent farmers from realizing their full profit
and market prices on their crops. Before NFI arrived in 2008, the
only source of financing was from agricultural businesses and bank
who would charge usurious interest rates of 30 to 40%. Often the
majority of the farmers’ profit would be consumed by these unfair
business practices. NFI offers these farmers an alternative. Through
donations, we have been able to offer loans to farmers at ten
percent (10%) interest with grace causes for catastrophic events and
without restrictions on their surplus disposition. The interest the
farmer’s pay is reinvested into helping additional farmers with
reasonable rate and term loans. As farmers accumulate savings their
loan amounts are decreased allowing the farmer to use more of his
own capital, thereby, motivating the farmer to become financially
independent.
Background
William Cabanilla
began organizing NFI in 2007. William is a native Filipino. He grew up
in the Province of Isabela. In 1992 he immigrated to the United States
with his American wife. He now lives in Salem, Oregon with his wife and
two teenage children, where he is the owner and operator of a small
construction firm doing work as a general contractor.
He continues to
have family and friends in the Philippines and visits occasionally.
During a visit in 2004, he became very troubled by the conditions of the
Filipino farmers and their families. They consistently had very little
to show for the grueling work they invested into their crops, and had to
finance future crops at unsustainable rates. William strongly desired
to see his family, friends, neighbors, and countrymen do more than just
survive; he hoped to see them thrive and knew that it would require a
new paradigm. So he started the Nehemiah Foundation International.
Progress
To-date
William’s first
project began in 2005 when he discovered the needs of four children from
two different families, who were orphaned by one parent and in a
desperate situation. William found sponsors for the children so they
could continue their education. NFI currently sponsors 23 children from
first grade through college. It has secured funding to finance 34
farmers who have recently harvested their first crops. NFI has fostered
relationships with the local Filipino government and has partnered with
the agricultural department to educate farmers in agricultural practices
to improve their efficiency and efficacy.
Goals...
- Help small farmers in the purchase of agricultural
products, such as seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
- Aid in the support of farmers attempting to send
their children to school.
- Education and training in
agricultural techniques.
- Assist children who are
either abandoned or orphaned.
Contact us at
info@nehfi.org
The
Nehemiah Foundation International is a registered 501(c)(3)
organization |
