This week Assist News Service published an article about Paradigm Shift entitled, “Paradigm Shift Extends God’s Family by Empowering Entrepreneurs.”

The article provides a comprehensive overview of the four key components (business training, microcredit, discipleship and mentoring) the Paradigm Shift program uses to connect business-minded members of local churches with microentrepreneurs in their communities.

Please forward the article to anyone you think might be interested in learning more about Paradigm Shift!

25 entrepreneurs finished strong by completing Paradigm Shift’s two-day intensive Business Experience Course at one of our partner churches in Johannesburg last weekend.

Many of these entrepreneurs will be paired with a mentor and also have committed to come back through for the 18-week training where they will participate in three things each week:

1. The Paradigm Shift’s Business Growth Course – 16 core business topics that they can immediately apply to their business. With the increase in knowledge, an increase in profits usually results. Last year we found an 82% average increase in business income by the end of the 18 weeks!
2. The Paradigm Shift’s Emmaus Road Course - 17 core topics that encourage an entrepreneur in growing in their relationship with Christ. Each week we look at a topic that is basic to following Jesus and understand how it applies to entrepreneurs lives. Last year, we found 26% of entrepreneurs started a relationship with Christ and many of the rest stated that they were able to deepen their understanding of God’s plan for their lives!
3. Repaying their microloan – For those entrepreneurs who receive a loan, the weekly meeting is a place where they bring a weekly repayment for their loan. It is also a time where they form and fortify community among the others whom they social guarantee.

21: The most recent number of microentrepreneurs who finished the first Paradigm Shift course last Saturday. Most of the entrepreneurs pictured below live in a  community where there is no running water and electricity. Their level of interest, engagement and desire for future involvement was unbelievable.

This group and another are signed up to come through 18 weeks of weekly meetings where they will study additional business topics along with looking at what the Bible says about their lives, their families and their businesses.

Should be a fun road of growth in the next 18 weeks.

“The Microcredit Sector in South Africa” written by Greg Skowronski, Paradigm Shift’s National Director of Microcredit, was recently published by the Global Development Research Center.

It is a fantastic research piece regarding where Paradigm Shift fits into the microfinance landscape here in South Africa.

http://www.gdrc.org/icm/country/africa-southafrica.html