Small businesses are being rebuilt after the tsunami destruction

Asia (MNN) — It’s been seven weeks since the tsunami slammed into 11 countries in Asia and already many are thinking of rebuilding. However, in Indonesia, a country that lost more than 100,000 people in the disaster, officials are questioning whether people should be allowed to rebuild near the ocean.

Despite those questions World Vision is getting ready for the rebuilding effort. The Christian based group will focus on many phases, including business revitalization. Chris Shore is World Vision’s expert a micro-enterprise development. He says most of the people in the tsunami affected areas are self employed. “It might be a small farm. It might be a little place where they make shoes. I could be a small restaurant, but they’re doing something that’s owner operated and running that themselves. Our work with micro-enterprise development is aimed at helping them.” And they do that by small business loans.

MNN asked Shore how micro-enterprise lending helps them share the Gospel. “We tell them. This is all part of the kingdom work. And, we remind people that the reason that World Vision is work is because God loves them.

World Vision needs funding to provide seed money for the program. “World Vision needs donations which we then put into our micro-finance institutions and that becomes the seed capital that we use,” which provides the fuel World Vision needs to share Christ in a personal way.

Go to WorldVision.org if you’d like to help.