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.

EFI has a goal of eventually reaching out to other areas of Iraq as well as internationally.  However, for the initial stages, the Board feels that focusing on the Kurdistan region and streamlining business processes is the best way to allocate resources first.  Additionally the need within the area of Iraq is very great, as many portions of the country have been demolished by Saddam’s regime in the past.  For those looking to support charities in Iraq, EFI offers one of the best ways for an individual to get involved with families in need and witness the process of building the home from start to finish.

At the writing of this article, the organization is raising the final funds necessary to provide for their 5^th and 6^th partner families.  Bruce Burchfield will be traveling back to Iraq in March to meet with these individuals to distribute loans as well as uncover new opportunities for other families in need in the area.  Burchfield has had the fortunate opportunity to meet many great contacts who have been able to help direct him to families that qualify for the program.  The Board will vote on and choose the applications that he brings back from Kurdistan based on various criteria, and then a new partner family is chosen.

This year proves to be a very promising one for EFI, as support is at an all time high and the word continues to spread among many looking to support Iraqi charities.  We encourage you to learn more about our organization by checking out the other links on our site and to see how you can become involved.  EFI is always looking for people who have a heart for helping Iraq to share the vision with others.  As of now, most of the funds raised by the organization have come by word of mouth from individuals looking to make a difference just like you.  Thanks for your consideration and interest in EFI!

As early as 1960, a gruesome war between the Kurds and Iraqi forces began and continued for nearly a decade, only to be momentarily paused by a faulty peace accord.  During this time, Saddam started his steady rise to power.  By 1975, Iran signed the Algiers Accord with Iraq, consequently breaking all ties between the Kurdish people and Iranian government.  With their weakened position, Saddam and the Iraqi government were free to retaliate against the Kurds.

By 1979, Saddam was elected President of Iraq.  Attacks were made on the Kurds, forcing over 200,000 to flee to the mountains or enter into detainee camps.  A large majority of villages were demolished.  Others who were able to remain in their towns were subject to chemical gassings while they slept at night.  Although the exact number remains unknown, it has been estimated that close to 500,000 Kurdish people were slaughtered during Saddam’s reign.

Due to this major oppression the Kurds experienced, multitudes rebelled against Saddam’s armies again in 1991.  The Iraqi government fought back, scattering hundreds of thousands of people far away from their homes.  These events ultimately lead to the intervention of the U.N. Security Council, and eventually the infiltration and capture of Saddam by U.S. troops in 2003.

However, the devastation still remains for many families.  Only time will tell how long it will take to rebuild Iraq and assist the Kurdish people with reconstructing the places they once called home.  Thankfully, our non-profit, Extended Family International (EFI), is making strides to aid Iraq in constructing new homes and offering hope for families.  Founder, Bruce Burchfield, witnessed this while working in the Kurdish region of Iraq and having the privileged opportunity to interact with the people of this region.  Many have good paying jobs and the drive to rebuild their lives, but are still lacking the means to accomplish this.

Due to enforced restrictions, most people are unable to take out interest bearing loans.  So this is the overall vision for EFI; to provide no interest microloans that families pay back over time and then eventually recycle into the form of a new loan for other families.  There are many ways for you to become involved with EFI’s charitable work in the reconstruction of Iraq.  Please discover more about our organization and mission by clicking the links above.

We will also be collecting payments from our first four partner families and using this money to fund our next two family loans. Read more about our families here! As you can see, your donation will not just impact one family but multiple families as the money is cycled into other family loans as it’s repaid from the original borrower. 

Please consider making a donation to help us reach our goal of $2,800 by March 20th. DONATE NOW Thank you!

Sincerely,
Bruce
President, EFI ]]> http://extendedfamilyinternational.org/uncategorized/help-us-raise-2800-by-march-20th/feed/ 0 http://extendedfamilyinternational.org/efi/efi-in-in-central-pennsylvania-magazine/ http://extendedfamilyinternational.org/efi/efi-in-in-central-pennsylvania-magazine/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:07:11 +0000 admin http://extendedfamilyinternational.org/?p=1107 Bruce Burchfield, president and founder of Extended Family International, was recently featured in In Central Pennsylvania magazine. Check out the link here.