WHOLE PLANET FOUNDATION
"To find out how much you've truly been blessed with in terms of love, time, energy, talent, joy, abundance, confidence, intelligence, wit, or any other quality, substance, or dispensation...give of them. Then you'll know what boundless really means." ~The Universe
TUT's Adventurers Club
March 2011 'Gifts From the Universe' Project:
Whole Planet Foundation
Empowering Entrepreneurs in our Global Communities
through Microcredit… ONE Dollar at a Time!
Whole Planet's Mission and Approach
The Whole Planet Foundation's mission is to create economic partnerships with the poor in developing-world communities that supply Whole Foods stores with product. Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct microcredit loans and tangible support for other community partnership projects - they seek to unleash the energy and creativity of every human being they work with in order to create wealth and prosperity in emerging economies.
Whole Planet Foundation was formed with the entrepreneurial spirit of Whole Foods Market in partnership with Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, co-recipients of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus, founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank, is a pioneer of microcredit, a tool to empower the poor. In Professor Yunus's own words: "Microcredit ignites the tiny economic engines of the rejected underclass of society. Once a large number of tiny engines start working, the stage can be set for bigger things."
Whole Planet Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization, provides grants to MFIs (Microfinance Institutions), who then manage the loan programs. All funds - principal and interest - remain in the borrower's community to generate additional microloans and further improve the community's economic health. Such programs were first introduced in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, who in turn develop and offer microenterprise loan programs, training, and other financial services to the self-employed poor.
The Whole Planet Foundation was born out of Whole Foods Market's desire to give something back to those who have helped them succeed in the marketplace while simultaneously addressing the persistent problem of world poverty and hunger. Efforts are focused on the villages and rural communities that supply stores with products such as tropical fruit, vegetables, tea, and coffee. Giving the poor in these communities access to credit through microloans enables them to escape the cycle of poverty by allowing them to use their own energy and creativity to help themselves.
History of the Foundation
The Whole Planet Foundation, established in October of 2005, represents a significant expansion of Whole Foods Market's mission to actively participate in all communities. With more than 270 stores and 54,000 Team Members, they now have the scale and scope to give back to the global community. The creation of this foundation directly connects Whole Foods Market customers and Team Members to the villages in developing countries that supply the Whole Planet Foundation with products. Establishing these partnerships contributes to the economic well-being of the communities where the products are sourced.
As part of our TUT's Adventurers Club mission, we have chosen Whole Planet Foundation as our adoptive organization for the month. To reach our collaborative goal of support for them, please donate a dollar or more below.
Happy Giving!