By Katie Smith Milway
Illustrations by Eugenia Fernandes
Tackling social change may be a massive, complex task, but at its root lies a simple, powerful, idea – that each individual can be an agent of change Youth Ventures is proud to highlight author Katie Smith Milway and her publisher, Kids Can Press. Together they’re inspiring younger generations to "can do" and compassion with the recently published One Hen – a vibrant and engaging children’s book that introduces readers to basic microfinance principles and the power of one good, business idea and a lot of hard work to change the lives of a family, town and, ultimately country.
One Hen is the story of Kojo, a young boy from Ghana who uses a small loan to purchase a single hen. With patience and hard work, Kojo’s tiny enterprise grows to become the largest poultry farm in his country. This inspirational story is based on the life of Kwabena Darko, a Ghanaian who used his microloan to start what is, indeed, now one of the largest poultry farms in West Africa. One Hen shows both the power or youth entrepreneurship and the importance of helping others.
Youth Can Make a Difference on www.OneHen.org
Now, through the newly launched www.OneHen.org website, youth have the opportunity to help change the world through microfinance. Launched with school children at City Year headquarters in Boston, and developed by Sapient Interactive and Bain & Company’s CommunityWorks program as a pro-bono project, www.OneHen.org is designed to educate children and families about the benefits of microfinance.
Through www.OneHen.org children interact one-on-one in a virtual village with microfinance. The site features interactive games where children can earn beads and then “loan” them to small businesses in the virtual marketplace, allowing them to see firsthand the power one small action can make in the lives of many. For each bead loaned, the site makes a donation to actual poor entrepreneurs through Opportunity International, a global microfinance organization.
We invited you and your children to visit the One Hen website – a colorful and interactive resource for children, parents, teachers…everyone!