By Shea Parton
During my senior year of university, I passed through a classroom in which Peter Greer was speaking, and was immediately inspired by his life story. Throughout his twenties, Greer was married in Rwanda and entrusted with the role of president at the micro-lending enterprise, HOPE International. After he spoke, Peter and I traded contact info, and a year and a half later, I happily lent him a spare bed when he passed through Los Angeles. Since then, Peter’s humble glow and tireless worth ethic made him an instant friend to the entire Parton family, and we have been privileged to constantly be crossing paths with him in Washington DC and California.
We decided to share Peter’s story this week because we are so pleased with the positive reception that his new book The Poor Will Be Glad has received. Co-written with Phil Smith, the acclaimed author of A Billion Bootstraps. The book's beautiful photography and rich content documents HOPE’s work across the fourteen countries where they have loaned over $100 million to the hands of 275,000 entrepreneurs. The Poor Will Be Glad lays out a pragmatic model for micro-lending, and explains that how a loan for as little as $50 can often enable a rural entrepreneur to significantly grow their business. HOPE's holistic approach has been growing effectively for the last thirteen years, and has been complimented by Peter's six years of living overseas and his first-hand experience with living in poverty. We are thankful to share a book that is close to our hearts - one that shares Peter's personal perspective, which is paving the way for social entrepreneurs worldwide.
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