Girls, Not Brides
At iZōsh® Events we learn about the benefits that a small sustainable business can provide to a woman and her children. In this article from girlsnotbrides.org, we learn about Laura from Guatemala, a child bride because her mother could not afford to even buy a...
iZōsh Ann Arbor Spring Event: March 16, 2018
On Friday, March 16, 2018 more than 100 women came together at Huron Hills Church in Ann Arbor to continue the task of empowering women living in extreme poverty by providing micro-loans. These loans allow women in communities all over the world to pursue small...
VisionFund International Applauds Launch of iZōsh International
When Scott Brown, former President and CEO of VisionFund International, learned about iZōsh® International, he called the news “incredible.” As iZōsh International President Robin Phillips discussed the launch with him, he recalled a few stories specifically about the...
Updates on Past iZosh Loan Recipients
To date, iZōsh® has collected and loaned out $118,680 to 277 women entrepreneurs working to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Periodically we get updates on some of our loan recipients: Nejmeh from Jordan runs a clothing store. iZōsh funded her loan at our...
Let’s help more women like Janeth
There is a great amount of diversity among our loan recipients. They come from many countries and many walks of life. This is the story of Janeth in the Philippines. We funded her loan at our October, 2014 iZōsh® event in Ann Arbor. For the last six years, Janeth has...
Robin Phillips Presents at Q Commons Ann Arbor
Many Ann Arbor-area residents were introduced to iZōsh® at Q Commons Ann Arbor, held on September 24, 2015. The Q Commons mission is simply to "advance good" in local communities. iZosh chair Robin Phillips was one of a group of local speakers and panelists discussing...
Loan Recipient Update: Perive
There is a great amount of diversity among iZōsh® loan recipients. They come from many countries on many continents. This is the story of Perive of Samoa. We funded her October 2014. Perive primarily utilized her loan to buy new tires and spare parts to fix her taxi....
Did you know iZōsh means “compassionate support of a woman?”
Did you watch the premier of A Path Appears, the new series on PBS by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (authors of Half the Sky)? It's about sex trafficking here in the United States and features some courageous people who are doing something about it. The stories...
The Savings Group Model
Today, somewhere in a rural village in the developing world, a group of women will sit down in a circle, and pass a basket. They will say their names: “Elfinish,” “Awa,” “Rosalinda,” “Winnie,” and place their dues in the basket, often the equivalent of less than $0.10...
From Refugee to Entrepreneur
Meet Martha. Martha and her family lived on a farm in Huila, a province in the southern part of Colombia. Huila is one of the areas marred by fighting between the illegal armed groups and the army. Martha occasionally handed out lemonade to members of the army in an...
Microloans: Gifts that Keep Giving
iZōsh International Board Member Peace Akol shares her story My first contact with microlending was through my mother’s experience running a small business in Kampala, Uganda where I grew up. My mother’s retail business was partly financed through microloans....
‘Made to Thrive’ Event Highlights Savings Groups
“For a woman living in extreme poverty, being in a savings group gives her agency.”Robin Phillips, President of iZōsh International Robin Phillips, President of iZōsh International, recently had the opportunity to speak during a World Vision ‘Made To Thrive’ event...
Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises Day
June 27, 2022 is Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. This is a day recognized by the United Nations to “raise awareness of the tremendous contributions of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)” towards their global Sustainable Development...
World Vision Discusses iZōsh® and Savings Groups
Through their Strong Women Strong World (SWSW) initiative, World Vision staff and donors focus on the impact their work has on women and girls globally. iZōsh International's President, Robin Phillips, is a member of the SWSW Advisory Council. In the SWSW August 2021...
Birmingham’s Spring Event with World Vision’s Jackie Ogega
The Birmingham Chapter had an inspiring and uplifting afternoon on Sunday, May 2nd as 42 women gathered via Zoom to fund micro-loans to women living in extreme poverty and were educated by keynote speaker, Dr. Jackie Ogega, Ph.D. from World Vision. Through the...