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Natalie Portman was on Good Morning America this morning to talk about her upcoming film in limited release, “My Blueberry Nights,” and she told a moving story about the organization she works with, FINCA, which gives small loans to entrepreneurs in the developing nations to help change their lives. When Portman was in Uganda ten years ago she met an impoverished woman with ten daughters who was beaten frequently by her husband for not bearing him a son. The woman lived on .80 a day from her husband, but she was able to get rid of him and eventually start her own restaurant after a micro loan from FINCA:
When I was in Uganda I was lucky enough to meet this woman, Niema, she had ten daughters, and… her husband was beating her because she couldn’t make a son, and she was living on .80 a day and depending on her husband for it.
She got a small loan from Finca and started her own roadside food stand, and started growing the business… buying a refrigerator and when I met her ten years later she had a restaurant with indoor seating, she had hired 7 other women, and she left her husband…
All of her daughters were in school and one of them was in University. So you see how just given the opportunity, they do all the hard work.
[Transcribed from Portman's appearance on "Good Morning America," 4/7/08, video below]
FINCA is one of many microcredit organizations that is changing lives, one small loan at a time. Impoverished entrepreneurs are given amounts that are usually less than $1,000, from which they can start or expand a business, eventually paying back the loan in full.
My favorite charity for this is Kiva, because you can read the background information and details on people who need loans and specifically donate to them. It’s inspiring to read the stories and realize that your small donation can help make a difference.
Portman also talked about her vegan shoe line on GMA this morning. Portman says she helps design the shoes by bringing in photos and shoes she likes to the designers, and providing feedback for their prototypes. She said she’s been a vegetarian since the age of 9 and made the decision to go vegan after reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” Portman reminded Diane Sawyer that her husband lent the book to her.
Here’s the video, thanks to clipper monkeyboy on Redlasso:
Portman is shown in the header leaving Good Morning America today, thanks to Splash News. I’m not really liking those pom pon shoes, but some others in her collection are cute.
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Good Causes, Natalie Portman
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7 Responses to “Natalie Portman tells triumphant story of Ugandan woman helped by small loan”
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Meat is murder. Tasty tasty murder.
Micro-loans have the power to literally change the world. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize several years ago founded a micro-loan organization & has helped tons of people especially women & children.Love the mary janes
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God I love this woman! Ten years ago she was still just a girl and already putting her mind towards giving back. She is articulate, polite, intelligent, and she totally keeps the pace of the interview from being awkward or boring. I LOVE HER!!! I think her and Ellen Page seem the most real in hollyweird.
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My campus has a few programs dedicated to donating to these charities, and I always love hearing the inspiring stories. Good for Natalie for being involved with them.
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Smoking hot and incredibly smart. A perfect combination.
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I love the concept of micro-credit organizations, and always find it amazing that such a small amount of money can make such a monumental difference in the lives of a large group of people.
When put in proper perspective, micro-loans make the insane amounts of money that go into the pockets of our CEOs (even those who are fired) and the seven figures that we’re spending in Iraq every day seem even more obscene.
How many other Ugandan entrepreneurs could be helped in a similar fashion by just the amount of money that we flush down the toilet each hour in Iraq?
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I love the pom pom shoes and the mary jane pumps. But out of all the food/lifestyle choices out there, I think vegans are the ones I understand less, particularly when they ascribe to a Judeo-Christian religious philosophy. But to each their own and at least, like Leo DiCaprio, she practices what she believes without being preachy about it.
But as for me and my house, we love our animal products and byproducts.
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