Who We Are
Providing financial literacy teaching materials to organizations working in the developing world.
Good Steward International is a USA based organization, which seeks to eradicate chronic poverty. Utilizing Teaching Based Savings Groups, we provide teaching content and development resources for churches and development professionals serving the underprivileged citizens of developing countries.
How We Empower
You long to make an eternal difference in the lives of individuals in other countries, and you are keenly mindful of the difficulties. There are funding issues, difficulties in maintaining good field relationships, finding the right people. And then that ever-nagging question:
“Are we actually accomplishing what God has in mind?”
Curriculum Demos
The teaching manuals include a host of teaching content relevant for sustainable community development. Good Steward International provides teaching manuals and savings groups setup information this is suitable for both Eastern and Western Hemisphere settings. Examples of the content in these manuals include:
- Family values
- Godly business ethics
- Separation from the world
- The two kingdoms
- Personal purity
- Literal obedience to Biblical teaching
- Business operation
- Savings & debt
- Budgeting
- Record keeping
- Customer service
- Medical care
Numbers From Our Sister Org.
The sister organization reaches out to people in material poverty through savings groups, agricultural development, microloans, and vocational training.
Selling Tea is Good Business!
Life has presented many struggles to Abdul and his family, who live in rural Bangladesh. Several years ago, a development organization came to Abdul’s village, offering to teach and begin a savings group in the community. At first Abdul and his wife Mohsina were skeptical. However, they decided to join the group to see if they could receive help in their desperate situation.
READ MORE
The savings group facilitator presented a teaching manual to each of the 27 members who joined the group. He guided them in adopting bylaws for self-governing their group and electing officers. In their weekly meetings, the facilitator helped them discuss problems they and their community faced, and facilitated their discussions in helping them discover solutions to those problems.
Last year this group concluded their first term. They collectively decided to bring the prior term’s savings of $440 USD forward to the second term so they would have more collective savings, allowing them to give larger loans to group members.
The ongoing Bible-based teaching Abdul and Mohsina received at these meetings caused them to begin planning ways to better provide for their family. Examples and financial forms in their teaching manual helped them develop their business plan. During their savings group’s second term, they submitted their business plan to the group and requested a loan of $240 USD to help start up a tea shop. The savings group members questioned Abdul’s business plan, but with some conditions they approved the loan.
Today Abdul says his tea shop is going well. He and his family faithfully serve the community and open the shop early in the morning. He believes working hard is important for success.
Above all, Abdul and Mohsina are happy and privileged to have the opportunity to operate this small business as a way to better provide for their family. They express their thankfulness to God and the development organization for giving them this opportunity!
It is encouraging to see this rural Bangladeshi community slowly rising out of poverty. Their savings group members are inspired about working together as a community. During the past 1-year term, over 92% of the members faithfully attended each meeting. In this same term, group members received 41 loans totaling more than $2,800 USD. Because of the teaching and community accountability, more people are learning about God’s plan for meeting the needs of their families.
READ MORE
The savings group facilitator presented a teaching manual to each of the 27 members who joined the group. He guided them in adopting bylaws for self-governing their group and electing officers. In their weekly meetings, the facilitator helped them discuss problems they and their community faced, and facilitated their discussions in helping them discover solutions to those problems.
Last year this group concluded their first term. They collectively decided to bring the prior term’s savings of $440 USD forward to the second term so they would have more collective savings, allowing them to give larger loans to group members.
The ongoing Bible-based teaching Abdul and Mohsina received at these meetings caused them to begin planning ways to better provide for their family. Examples and financial forms in their teaching manual helped them develop their business plan. During their savings group’s second term, they submitted their business plan to the group and requested a loan of $240 USD to help start up a tea shop. The savings group members questioned Abdul’s business plan, but with some conditions they approved the loan.
Today Abdul says his tea shop is going well. He and his family faithfully serve the community and open the shop early in the morning. He believes working hard is important for success.
Above all, Abdul and Mohsina are happy and privileged to have the opportunity to operate this small business as a way to better provide for their family. They express their thankfulness to God and the development organization for giving them this opportunity!
It is encouraging to see this rural Bangladeshi community slowly rising out of poverty. Their savings group members are inspired about working together as a community. During the past 1-year term, over 92% of the members faithfully attended each meeting. In this same term, group members received 41 loans totaling more than $2,800 USD. Because of the teaching and community accountability, more people are learning about God’s plan for meeting the needs of their families.
FAQ
Step 1:
Step 2:
Schedule an informational call with questions or to begin discussion on obtaining our resources.
Step 3:
Determine which of our curriculums is a good fit for your organization.
Step 4:
Enrollment and delivery of resources.
We will equip you with a portal with tracking numbers so you can track meeting attendance, dollars saved and loaned, participant satisfaction, and group demographics.