Spend A Penny And Help Chiswick Break A World Record

And help reduce poverty in Africa along the way with Microloan Foundation

Chiswick based charity MicroLoan Foundation has come up with a new and innovative campaign called Pennies for Life which focuses on a push for social change with your spare change.

The charity wants to break the world record for the longest chain of pennies ever laid and they want the residents of Chiswick to help them.

The world record currently stands at 3,406,234 (cents) or 40.32 miles and is held by the community of Fort Scott in Kansas, USA. The MicroLoan Foundation’s aim is to collect and lay at least 4 million pennies and break the 50 mile barrier.

There’s more than £500 million worth of unwanted change in British homes, a staggering £143 million of which is found in the bedroom. This unwanted cash would allow the MicroLoan Foundation to fund 21 million businesses in Africa.

It can take as little as £25 to enable a woman in Africa to start her own business and lift her, and her family out of poverty. When the loan is repaid (and, remarkably, 99% are), the money is lent again to another group of women. And so on, and so on, so your money never goes out of circulation.

The campaign was successfully launched on Sunday 3rd October at St. Paul’s church, Grove Park with the congregation showing great interest and enthusiasm. Judith Talbot said it was “a micro loan for macro return.”

The idea behind Pennies for Life is very simple as the charity is asking for pennies not pounds and has developed a campaign to blend traditional and digital ways to raise funds.

Firstly, you, your friends, family or business can collect your physical pennies on behalf of MicroLoan or for those who prefer to donate online - by updating your Twitter and Facebook statuses with Update and Donate, or by agreeing to pay an extra 1p every time you buy something from one of the charity's partner brands (www.theafricahouse.com; www.find-me-a-dress.com; www.worldremit.com).

http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/How-you-can-help/PenniesForLife

October 11, 2010