Opening Doors

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Though used in this country, micro-finance is most famously linked with women's empowerment in the Third World. Popularized in Bangladesh by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the philosophy argues that most of the world's poor know how to start a business, which is often a survival skill; they simply need access to capital. His Grameen Bank has provided loans to millions of poverty-stricken people in Asia, mostly women, often for less than $100 to purchase basic equipment such as sewing machines or other resources.

When it comes to similar programs in the developed world, many in micro-finance say they've noticed new arrivals gravitate towards business, building on what they've learned in the street stalls and bazaars of their home countries. "Immigrants are, on average, more entrepreneurial than U.S. citizens, because it takes an entrepreneurial spirit to run the risks of leaving home to start a new life in a new country," says Christopher Dunford, president of the Davis, Calif.-based Freedom from Hunger, a nonprofit providing similar services in the developing world.

But unlike the cottage industries sprouting up across South Asia, would-be micro-entrepreneurs often have more trouble getting started in this country. "Because there's more competition and because there's more regulation, it's just harder to start small businesses here," says New York University professor of public policy and economics Jonathan Morduch. "That's why so many institutions here that are involved in these sorts of activities devote a lot of resources to business training, financial literacy, business plan development, etc., to help support their customers."

 And that is where Opening Doors shines. Hosting a weekly Spanish-language radio program, Rojas takes call-in questions from the area's Hispanic business owners. Workshops and seminars, usually two or three per month held in business information centers turn into networking sessions for people who don't yet feel comfortable mingling with native English speakers. Rojas says that undocumented workers frequently come to Opening Doors. While it can offer classes and help with translations and paperwork, loans are out of the question without a Social Security number. "It is very difficult," Rojas says quietly.

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