Micro-Credit Project to Begin for Darfur Refugees Living in Southern Sudan

Los Angeles, CA, December 03, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus’ cutting-edge concept of micro-credit; the Micro-Credit Project, to be introduced in Southern Sudan to refugees and returnees who have been displaced by years of war.

Beginning December 2009, in Munuki Payam in Juba County, Southern Sudan, the Pilot Light Self Help Micro-Credit Project will give small loans to 30 returnees (people who fled the region during the war, but are now returning to their homes) which will affect over 210 people living within these households. The purpose of this project is to create sources of income through micro-credit revolving loans to enhance food security, sustainable livelihood and self-reliance by encouraging and promoting entrepreneurship.

Two million refugees from Darfur are currently living in Southern Sudan in extreme poverty. The micro-credit project, will give priority to women and disabled applicants, who will be coached in accounting, business management, loan recovery and preventative methods of HIV/AIDS. The project is expected to promote better health, reduce the death rate, increase education opportunities to children returnees’ therefore decreasing juvenile crime and ultimately to bring hope to those living in impoverished conditions.

The Sudan Self Help Foundation is a non-profit organization whose main goal is to teach Conflict Resolution and Peace Building. Through Health Education, HIV/AIDS Prevention, Agriculture and Food Security, Basic Education, Forest Protection and Management, Water and Sanitation Projects and the creation of the Pilot Light Micro Credit Project, the SSF hopes to help alleviate poverty in a war-torn nation.

The Pilot Light Foundation was formed to create and support small projects in Africa that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for impoverished Africans in non urban areas. The Pilot Light Foundation seeks to fund those projects that fall outside the funding of the larger Non-Government Organizations (NGO’S) but are life changing for the small communities in which these “Pilot” projects are realized.

Los Angeles, CA resident Carol Anne Levy founded the Pilot Light Foundation and is the acting director. Ms. Levy was a national board member for the US Fund for UNICEF for four years and has been a board member of the Southern California chapter of the US Fund for 10 years. It was through her travels in Africa with UNICEF that Ms. Levy realized the real potential to initiate change and to improve lives through projects with relatively low budgets. After raising money for a Ugandan friend that has their own small NGO in the village they are from, Ms. Levy found other requests coming to her for other projects and decided to form the Pilot Light Foundation.

“The idea of the pilot light is that we will set a small spark that can grow into a larger fire, after we are gone.” Carol Anne Levy, Director, the Pilot Light Foundation.

Pilot Light is proud that 100% of donations will be used directly for these projects. Pilot Light is a 501(C) (3).

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