One of my favorite documentaries is a beautiful film called The Philosopher Kings by Transcendental Media. It is a must-see film that allows for an insight into the lives of people who are often overlooked--the custodial staff.  It is a true testimony to the intricacies of human lives and the wisdom, beauty, hopes and dreams of those lives--regardless of social status or position of employment. 

I have never stopped thinking about this movie since the day I saw it, and one of the stories in particular had a powerful impact on me. His name is Josue Lajeunesse, and he works as a janitor at Princeton University during the day and drives a taxicab at night in order to support his family in Haiti. The talented filmmakers behind The Philosopher Kings could not forget Josue's inspirational story, either. They have been working on another documentary named after the town of Josue's family, La Source. This film tells the story of Josue and his brother and their determination and passion to bring hope to their village through a large scale effort. Hit hard by the global water crisis, getting water in La Source means either a dangerous journey or risk of contamination. This documentary will serve as a tool for an action campaign to bring clean water to the village and change the lives of the people who live there. 

That's where we all come in. Transcendental Media is currently raising the money needed to make this campaign a success, and even a $1 makes a difference. Holstee is thrilled to offer a free Manifesto poster to the first five people to donate $250 to support the La Source Social Action Campaign. You can learn more about the film and donate to the cause here. 

The Holstee Team is proud to declare the latest microloans on Kiva.org! This time we are able to support Lamin Tholley from Makeni, Sierra Leone, and the Fuente de Paz Group from El Seybo, Dominican Republic. Lamin Tholley: Here's a bit of background information of Lamin from his Kiva page: "Lamin is a trader dealing in used clothing at the main market in Makeni City. He is married to a trader and has two children in high school. He has eight years of business experience. He intends to increase his stock and to buy wholesale from Guinea and Freetown."

We selected Lamin because he is recycling clothes and we were impressed by the intentness he is willing to grow his business. He is really hard working, so he'll finally be able to assure further education for his children and to fulfill his dream of purchasing a piece of land for his family. The Fuente de Paz Group: The Fuente de Paz Group - which means "Source of Peace" - is located in the rural areas surrounding El Seybo where running water and electricity are not available most of the time. The group consists of 11 female entrepreneurs, all of them selling clothes and jewelry.

"Batista is the coordinator of the group, and her story is not unlike others in her group, and of Esperanza's Haitian and Dominican clients overall, many of whom have recently emigrated to the Dominican Republic from Haiti. Batista is excited to be taking her seventh loan with Esperanza, after having successfully repaid her previous loans which were used to grow her business. She plans to use this loan to invest in her clothes selling business by purchasing skirts, blouses, and pants in the main market at Santo Domingo and then reselling them in her community. She will use the profits to relocate her business to an area where there is more traffic, and also to get her legal documents in order so that she can go to the university." We totally love to support the women of the Fuente de Paz Group with their dreams, and that through Kiva, we can enable them to go to university... because education plays an important role for a sustainable development and lifestyle.