The company meeting.

• Author: Wiesner, Pat
• Position: On Management - Adelante Foundation of Honduras

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I ATTENDED A COMPANY meeting held under a tree in an agricultural setting in Honduras. This meeting was held for the same reasons that company meetings have been held since the very first VP said, "Let's have a meeting!"

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But the people at this business meeting were interesting because they have totally changed their lives. And this particular session demonstrated two things: first, the infinite depth of human ability to get ahead in spite of odds; second, the incredible power of free enterprise as a social force.

But let me back up and tell you a little about these people.

All the people in the accompanying photo belong to the Adelante Foundation of Honduras. Adelante (which means "forward" in Spanish) does microlending. That is, it lends between $100 and $300 to the poorest of the poor on the outskirts of La Cieba, Honduras. Each of these borrowers in turn puts the money into a small business. They are then expected to repay their loan plus interest to the foundation, and they are required to put some money back into their business and some into their families in the form of clothes, food and education for their kids.

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The businesses are up to the clients, with some counsel from the organization.

One woman bought a scale, and with it she subdivides big sacks of wheat and charges enough per sack to pay all her expenses and make a profit.

Many have little stores that sell sundries, toothpaste, etc. But since there are likely to be lots of these stores, these women have marketing challenges, and it's interesting to listen to them discuss how to deal with competition. They have the same problems as Procter & Gamble, and they solve the problems the same way.

Another woman sells key chains carved with your name in wood, carved by her husband in...