We can change Nigeria NOW

Yes, things are a mess in Nigeria. We didn’t need to see the footage of extra-judicial killings that spilled onto the internet recently in order to know that there are a lot of problems there. As part of the commitment that Tip Top Gem has made to source countries that produce stones that we sell, we have made loans to two Nigerian entrepreneurs on the Kiva.org site.

We are blessed with wonderful opportunities to live rich, full lives here in America and for a very small amount of money (we loaned $25 to each of the entrepreneurs shown below) you can make a serious impact on individual lives. Remember that hope is highly contagious. What is a small or modest amount of money to you can impact someone in Nigeria for a lifetime. You aren’t just loaning money, you are spreading hope to people who have precious little of that commodity to go around.

Tip Top Gem will continue to make these contributions because we feel that miners in source countries are not getting a fair share of the profits. Nigeria plays a major role in the availability of untreated collector stones like tourmaline and garnet. If you are able to help someone in a gemstone source country please do so via Kiva.org or the microfinance institution of your choice. The entrepreneurs that we have chosen have not yet received their full loan amount as of this writing so feel free to help out Nneka or Rashidat in Nigeria! This is not a handout- Africa is evidence that handouts are not the solution. This is empowering an entrepreneur to grow their business by giving them a basic tool that many business owners in the West take for granted. Financing is often the fire that sets a business alight with growth and this is an incredibly powerful tool for entrepreneurs in the third world who are struggling to keep their family fed with a simple business plan like buying and reselling food, soap, or grain.

The Tucson show was an incredible success for Tip Top Gem and we are extremely excited for today and for tomorrow. But at the same time we are acutely aware that pain and suffering are a part of daily life in gem-producing countries like Nigeria, Mali, Kenya, Tanzania, and Pakistan. We have helped finance entrepreneurs in those countries and will continue to help entrepreneurs in colored-stone source countries when their gems help us to make a profit.