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A simple yet revolutionary idea - in the form of a $90 loan - changed her life, pulling the Bangladeshi villager out of a devastating cycle of poverty. On Friday, that idea - lending tiny sums to poor people looking to escape poverty by starting businesses - won the Nobel Peace Prize for economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded. Nesa used the money she borrowed from Grameen in 2001 to buy egg-laying chickens and parlayed her investment into a business that today sells construction material. She's not alone. Yunus' notion - today known as "microcredit" - has spread around the globe in the past three decades and is said to have helped more than 100 million people take their first steps to rise out of poverty. Some bought dairy cows, others chickens.
By the end of this year, 135 homes will have been built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers and partner families in Summit County. Last June, Rochelle D. Fisher, 36, of Rootstown Township, took over as executive director of the ecumenical Christian housing ministry. The Summit County agency will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Q: Did you know much about Habitat before you took the job? A: I knew about the mission of Habitat for Humanity in general terms. I had done some work with the Portage County affiliate over the years and even had applied for the executive director's position about four years ago. I always admired what Habitat did for families and had hoped at some point to get involved. Q: What is your main goal in your new position? Please see Habitat, B4 Habitat Fisher says volunteers, funds always needed Continued from Page B1 A: My goals are to enhance the image of the affiliate in Summit County, grow the organization in terms of number of homes built, and financially sustain the organization.
So are the dreams. Big equipment could be built here. We could have another vibrant industry. We could rake in the money.
It's the heyday of Nova Scotia's offshore industry, and billions of dollars are being spent around the province.
At Dominion Diving, about 40 people work at a hectic pace on the Sable Island Offshore Energy Project, the darling of the offshore industry. The atmosphere at the Dartmouth business is very intense.
Doing major underwater diving construction work, Dominion thrives ...
The hype didn't last.
"Wow, that seems like such a long time ago," says Dominion's John Scott.
Expensive exploration wells were drilled, but the promised treasures were never found. Hope fizzled.
That is, until recently.
Engcobo - Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has urged the Eastern Cape government to do whatever it takes to eradicate schools built in mud in the province.
"We must do away with mud-built schools more especially since this is a disaster-prone area," Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka told Education MEC Mkhangeli Matomela, during a Presidential Imbizo here on Saturday.
Parents had complained that their children's lives were threatened by the poor infrastructure.
Several such schools were washed away during heavy rains in the province recently.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said it was government's aim to do way with such conditions as they were not conducive to progressive learning.
Mr Matomela told BuaNews that the provincial government was so far left with 572 such structures to do away with, with R600 million had been set aside for this reason this financial year.
A tourism project worth $2 billion and employing 3000 workers during construction, will get off the ground in Fiji's western division shortly, says Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.
Speaking during the 2006 National Economic Summit in Suva, Qarase said the Vulagi project will provide 4000 permanent jobs for locals once complete.
Qarase said the project will be equivalent to the scale of the successful Denarau Island resorts "that is Fiji's most successful single centre for foreign investment".
The Vulagi project was originally a project initiated by JS Hill. According to Qarase, JS Hill has sold out its interests to three foreign business people. He said these "substantial business people" are already in the country working on some other projects and are hoping to start work on the Vulagi project as soon as possible.
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