When we landed in Northern Iraq we could see that the later report was true! An attack on one of the major governmental buildings just took place in the city we were scheduled to visit. Many were killed, and there was increased reports of suicide bombings on the news. And to think this had become normal life for so many in this war-torn country!

In the following days as we traveled around, we saw all around us families who were just trying to live there lives and provide for their loved ones in the midst of this senseless violence. They don’t want war, strife, and conflict; they only want  safety and security to return to their country and the ability to rebuild their lives. It was a great reminder that even in this turmoil many are persevering. We met two new partner families who were so thankful for the chance to partner with EFI to rebuild their homes. This is why we do, what we do… thanks to all of you who are a part of that! This last trip was confirmation to me that Iraq as a country can only be rebuilt in one way, and that’s one family at a time.

I was also able to visit a new family to assess their current situation. Through the site visit and interview we found they were a perfect fit for our future partner family. They are currently living in an incomplete house shell, but with the $5,000 loan from EFI they hope to bring their home to completion as soon as possible. Please read there full story here and consider donating to their loan.

It was great to see the recycled loan process working in full swing. Now will 6 partner families, every six month collection period a new family in need will receive a $5,000 loan to finish their home! We continue to receive donations so we can help as many families as possible obtain adequate shelter. We sincerely thank you for your help in this process.

This comes as wonderful news to EFI considering this was the whole purpose of our organization. This was a pressing housing need that no one was addressing, so we decided to do something about it! We have been blessed to raise enough funds to affect 6 different families in Iraq. As the money is repaid we will be able to impact more families in need.

We are now assessing how this money can best be used to impact families; especially now that the no-interest home loan needs are being addressed by the government. EFI’s board of directors looks forward to announcing our future direction for the organization. Check back soon to hear more!

As always, we thank you for your interest and support. We would also like to send a huge thank you from the partner families, their lives have been changed in amazing ways because of you!

I’ve made it back to Kurdistan and have been visiting our partner families. I had the joy of traveling out to my favorite village in Kurdistan – Bestansur. It was so encouraging to see our first partner family, The Mahmouds, and spend time visiting with them. It’s a real blessing that they are now in their new home as their family continues to grow. They now have 4 children so they are really enjoying the new bedroom in their house. We all had a great time playing with their new 7 month old baby. She’s adorable and is so friendly even with complete strangers like me! (and I definitely look like a big white stranger in her eyes!) It’s great to know that they can continue to grow their family now with adequate space in their home. They again thanked EFI for being such a huge help to their family. To me this is great motivation to keep helping the people of Iraq rebuild their lives, one family at a time!

-Bruce

Our vision is to provide each partner family we support with the finances necessary to reconstruct their homes by providing up to $5,000 worth of microloans per family.   Although this amount may increase over time, we feel this gives us the capability to most effectively help as many families as possible.  US aid in Iraq can go a long way in helping to turn their lives around.

For example, the Sadiks were a family of 7 who only needed $5,000 to finish the inside of their home, which helped to alleviate the high cost of rent and provide more room to live.  With very limited space, leaking walls and a collapsing roof overhead them, this small amount of money helped to provide materials such as block walls, electric supplies, doors, stucco, tile and bathroom supplies.

Our microfinance program is set up so that as each family repays their loan over time, the funds are then cycled back into the form of a new loan for future partner families to use on their homes.  Therefore, as our support levels continue to rise, we will be able to provide larger loans as well as offer help to more families in shorter periods of time.  There is really no limit to the difference we can make in helping to aid Iraq families.

Therefore, we encourage you to take the time to learn more about EFI, and what our organization stands for.  If you have a heart for helping families in need and want to be a part of this great humanitarian effort, please consider how you can contribute as a part of our Extended Family!

Family members and close friends typically live together within the same villages and offer each other the help and support to reconstruct their homes, so we focus on helping Iraqi families with purchasing the necessary parts and equipment to complete each project.  Jobs are overseen by a field partner from start to finish, and as loans are paid back by each partner family, the funds are then recycled into the form of new loans for others in need.  This is one of the best ways to offer Iraq relief and the help they need to start anew.

Within about a year and a half, EFI has helped raise well over $20,000 for 6 partner families.  This has all been mainly accomplished by obtaining funds from our private donors who bought into the vision of our organization and believe that they can make a lasting impact.  We rely on building relationships with people just like you; people who want to be part of a cause greater than themselves and offer ongoing support to needy Iraqi families.  Eventually our goal is to even send people to visit these villages and help with the construction process.  We are all about building relationships; or as we like to put it, our “Extended Family.”

Want to learn more about how you can help Iraqis restore their lives and future?  Please take your time visiting out site and feel free to contact us with your questions and feedback.  We would love to hear from you as we continue to build partnerships with people who want to make a real difference in Iraq!

Our concept is fairly simple.  We provide up to $5,000 of micro loans to families in need to finish or reconstruct a portion of their home.  Typically each family has either built a majority of the structure or they have received other funds from the government and family, so our job is to help provide the remainder of this money.  Most of the time EFI will assist a family of 4 or more, where both parents are working full time jobs and have the desire to provide the best for their families.

Since this is primarily a Muslim nation, many of the people cannot take out interest bearing loans, and therefore require funds from supporters looking to offer Iraq donations.  This is where you can step in and make a difference!  EFI is constantly bringing on new partner families every year to fulfill our mission and offer hope to the nations.  Although our work is solely focused in Iraq right now, we eventually have aspirations to offer the same support to families throughout the world as our support continues to grow.

The best part of offering your support to our program is that as the money is paid back by each partner family, those funds are then recycled into new micro loans for other families.  It is the charitable gift that keeps on giving.  Loans are not distributed to families until an in depth background check is performed and the Board passes a vote.  There are other guidelines that each family must adhere to in order to be a part of the program, such as providing a cosigner and keeping the field partner up to date regularly on purchases and progress made.  Additionally, due to strict religious beliefs for most, it is their obligation to honor all commitments and to not remain in debt to anyone.

In summary, if you are looking to offer funds for Iraqi families, we encourage you to take some time to learn more about our organization and to see how EFI is making a difference in this portion of the world.  We offer a lot of information and resources to help you decide if this is the right decision for you and hope to partner with you in the near future.  Thanks for being a part of our Extended Family!

These Iraqi families are hard working and resourceful people, but they do not have the finances necessary to purchase materials to build their homes and get a fresh start.  As a microfinancing company, our goal is to help raise and provide loans at no interest for those who need it most.  The families that we support typically live in extremely small 1 or 2 room houses with 4 or more family members.  A lot of them are paying high fees for rent or are forced to share housing with other family, leaving these people in very crammed and typically unsafe conditions.

Other homes in Iraq may have the shell completed, which typically leaves families with no doors or windows and possibly even a leaking roof.  If you look at our “Families” tab above, you can start to learn more about the personal journeys of each Iraqi family and how they are overcoming these obstacles to finally have a safe place they can call home.

For example, at the writing of this article, we are finishing up a loan to assist the Khader family with finishing their shell of a home within the near future.  With almost no hope of being able to rebuild the structure before winter, supporters of EFI were able to help this family raise the funds necessary to put on some doors and windows to protect them from extreme cold.  Now that spring is quickly approaching, this family will be fully funded to finish their reconstruction and have hope for the future!

Learn more about how you can help rebuild Iraq homes by clicking the various other tabs above.  Our goal is to pass along the vision to you in order that you can learn more about this great need and how you can be a part of our mission.  We consider you to be a part of our Extended Family.  Thanks for stopping by!

Currently the organization will raise up to a $5,000 worth of microfinance loans per family to help cover the cost of materials needed to rebuild their homes.  Since most of the villagers are very tightly knit, they often possess the skills and manpower necessary to construct their homes without any other outside assistance.  EFI would eventually like to send out groups to provide extra support when the time is right.  The families that the organization supports usually have at least the shell of the home constructed, so most of the funds go towards windows, doors, roofs, drywall, cosmetics, etc.

Depending on the situation, families may obtain additional funds from government programs or family members for example, and the loan is just enough to cover that deficit.  As the loan is paid back over a 2-3 year period, funds are then recycled into other microlending opportunities for other families.   So far EFI has been able to help raise the loans for 6 partner families in need.  The results have been astonishing, and the loan repayment program has been working very effectively.

Another great part of being an international microlender company is that a small amount of money can go a long way.  Eventually the organization would like to become involved in other parts of Iraq and internationally.  As the vision continues to spread among new supporters and processes continued to be perfected among the organization, this will become much more feasible.  However, at this time the focus will be on supporting Iraq and offering hope to many broken villages.