By Smita Ram

RangDe.Org began with a simple question - Why charity?  If you or me want money for business, education or health, we walk up to the  bank for credit. We do not ask for a donation. Have you ever wondered what happens if your corner tea stall vendor or your vegetable shop vendor needs a loan to expand his/her business?

When Ram and I began our planning our relocation to India, we revisited the promise we made to ourselves - that we will dedicate ourselves to making a difference to India, in whatever way possible. So, when we made the big decision, we began to brainstorm on how we can add value and make a difference to India. One of the obvious ways would have been to set up an NGO in India and work for a cause. When we went a little deeper in these brainstorming sessions, we began to realise that all these causes are manifestations of poverty and unless we address poverty we will not make much headway. There was a need to address poverty in a sustainable manner by involving through a platform where barriers of distance or econics had no role to play.

And thus RangDe.Org was born as a platform through which, not just the two of us, but any individual can connect with a person who lives in poverty and needs financial support. This connection between people of different economic backgrounds, we feel, is very important if we want to see a change in India. Through RangDe.Org an online microlending platform you can connect with a borrower of microcredit by lending small sums of money small sums of money to an individual of a low income household.The money that you lend serves as the working capital for a microenterprise in a village or in urban slums. The typical needs that we are talking about are petty shops, cattle rearing,  telephone booths, agriculture.  As a Rang De social investor, you get a return of 3.5% pa

So far we have raised loans for 56 borrowers, all women from Nagpur in Maharastra and Vandavasi in Tamil Nadu. We have raised Rs 300,000 since going live on 26th January 2008. Our journey has just begun and now we continue to leave a footprint in other parts of India. We now have about  60 social investors. However we plan to reach out to about 1000 borrowers in the next 6-8 months and for this to become a reality we need your support. As the saying goes 'little drops of water make up a mighty ocean!', Rang De believes that little deeds from individuals can create a positive impact.

Yes, charity and donations are important for certain causes. However,  not everyone needs charity. Give people an access to financial opportunity and see what difference you can make with small sums of money.  Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome at Rang De. Rang De is a people's initiative to make a difference and we welcome your say in how you want to shape Rang De in the years to come. Please e-mail us on smita@rangde.org /sowmya@rangde.org.