Driving through New England in autumn is as poetic an experience as you would hope for. Rainshowers of colored leaves, nearby cascading waterfalls and the occasional deer running into the woods made for a memorable drive.

Josh and I were there to see his family and also for me to visit Smith College and Mount Holyoke College, two of the five colleges in the area.  What we hadn’t anticipated was the level of damage caused by the snowstorm of two weeks ago, with innumerable trees felled and many power lines down.  Bundles of snow still permeated the landscape and black ice made some of the roads like a skid zone. Power had only been restored to some homes a few days ago and locals were in shock that such havoc had been wreaked before winter had officially begun.

Our weekend felt like an immersion in the natural world, whether it was seeing the effects of the snowstorm or watching creatures at play. In Northhampton I watched two squirrels play hide and seek in a tree, as comical as you could imagine while also displaying precision timing as they hid from and then found each other in leaps and bounds.  Later I watched a reddish bush come alive with twenty turkeys emerging in a flap of scraggly wings.

On Saturday we zig-zagged across New England and found the elusive Book Mill in Montague Massachusetts that Josh knew I’d love.  We arrived late afternoon and it was like a slice of literary paradise set in a literal paradise – a mill perched on the edge of a rise with a river and waterfall below.  The mill contained an art gallery, a coffee shop and a three level second hand book shop with myriad rooms on every floor.  It felt like a grand manor with its Alice in Wonderland style chairs and gorgeous old rugs creating an environment where people were welcome to sit for hours and read to their heart’s content.  In the café, people had propped their laptops on tables where some of them were no doubt writing their own chapters for a novel while others in conversation absorbed the view of the rushing river below.  I found an early hardback edition of Charlotte’s Web and went into my own rhapsody when I remembered how much I had loved that book.

So now I’ve returned to New York and to my own slice of the natural world here.  I look across from my desk, as I tap-tap on my laptop, and see people walking their dogs in the park and scuffing their feet through piles of crunchy leaves. Below the hum of people at Bonbonierre, the convivial family diner, gives comfort in its everyday rhythm.  Across from the café a street artist has set up his water colors while cyclists meander around the West Village, as chilled out as the day itself.

In Bryant Park, across from where I work, an ice-skating rink has been erected and many graceful skaters are now in their element.  I felt a rush of joy when I first saw them last week while along the edges laughing couples were falling down and picking themselves up again, just as happy to be on the ice, even if they were more often on their knees than on their feet.

Even those who dread the cold of winter here talk about the magic of November and December with New York streets lit up at night, horse and carriages taking bundled up passengers around Central Park and to the theatre and hot chestnuts being sold at so many street corners.  Thanksgiving is only ten days away and people are busy making plans in anticipation of this time of rest with family. Josh and I will be in Sarasota, Florida, one of the places he lived when he was younger. For us there will be a chance to reclaim some of his earlier memories while swimming in the sea and having some deep relaxation time.

Work continues to be busy, with more funds secured and more reports due.  I’ve now conducted Passion Statement sessions for all our Board and staff, having encouraged them to write a few sentences about what has drawn them to work for, or support, Women’s World Banking.  These statements will go on our website and will also be used in other presentations.  We have such a diverse staff from many countries and some of their own reasons for working with WWB are striking so I will end this letter with several of these Passion Statements:

Women are the key to rebuilding the local economy in any nation and Women’s World Banking is at the cutting edge in a women’s financial life. Women need a full package of financial services in order to emerge from poverty and from the vulnerability it creates. WWB is more than an organization, it is also an international social movement. When commercialization of the micro finance sector is the main threat, the message is to invest in poor women.  We have seen worldwide that poor women are economically active; they are sane risk takers with strong values. Hence it is women who will bring growth coupled with human values to ensure this growth is sustainable and equitable. 
Ela R Bhatt, Founder, Self Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) and WWB Board Member

Grass-roots initiatives drive much development, and when millions of small entrepreneurs can be supported to do so in unison, much will follow.  The biggest barrier is neither ideas nor energy but simply financial wherewithal, and Women’s World Banking and its network of MFIs fills that gap as well as any organization on earth.  Reaching more than twenty million women and their communities worldwide, how could one not be called to serve?
Michael Useem, Director, Center for Leadership and Change Management, Wharton University and WWB Board Member

I met WWB in Abidjan through Nancy Barry who defined women as “Women hold up half the sky.” I knew she was right.  WWB made the microfinance expert in me, it made the woman activist that I have become and gave me the skills to lead the largest, best practice microfinance institution in Africa, south of the Sahara, empowering, positioning and advocating for families through women.
Dr. Jenifer Riria, CEO of Kenya Women Finance Trust

Coming from a Third World country, I’ve seen the crucial role the woman plays in the life of a child. I’ve seen the management acumen women are endowed with – doing a lot with the little income the household gets – and the dexterity with which such heroines deal with the challenges facing the family. I count myself fortunate to work with highly talented people at WWB. I’ve witnessed an increasing level of motivation at WWB which impels me to put my heart and soul into WWB’s ever-expanding mission to better the lot of the disadvantaged the world over.
Sam Gagakuma, WWB staff member

Women’s World Banking gives me the chance to be a part of an organization that provides loans to the less fortunate. Growing up in the boonies of a third world country taught me to appreciate the sacrifices families have made chasing the American dream. Lack of knowledge and access to savings products, savings and checking accounts limits growth of small businesses and has catastrophic results. Too often families are broken up because they have to migrate chasing the American dream. WWB extends the American dream to the world by giving credit to small businesses and providing the possibility of prosperity and success.
Javier Borja

Jane Sloane