I like to be independent.  I like to accomplish and improve things without relying on or waiting for anyone else.  Anyone with me?  Yet here in the Dominican Republic, microfinance groups are opening my eyes to the beauty and paradoxical freedom of dependence.

Forming a group is the first requirement to taking out a microloan with HOPE partner Esperanza.  If an individual cannot repay their loan for any reason, the responsibility lands with the group.  This system may sound scary, but it works.  Social collateral—neighbors and friends—can be a very powerful guarantee. Members of solidarity groups live in small, close-knit communities, which positively influences each member to repay.
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But of course, there are times when someone is unable to pay back. I have been at many meetings where one client readily covers for another.  Likewise, I have seen these advances get repaid time and again.  And these examples are a slice of humble pie for my spirit of skepticism and self-reliance.

What’s even more striking than willing financial support is the camaraderie I’ve witnessed. Lalita is a pastor and president of her group in the community of Managuayabo.  In six years, they have grown from five to 20 women (four sub-groups meeting together), and two of these women have become Christians. “That part is the most important,” Lalita declared. Through many ups and downs, she continues to share the Gospel with and encourage her fellow Esperanza members.  She shared, “Right now we have a couple women going through a difficult time in our group, but we’re not going to bring them down. We’re going to help and encourage them.”

Angela is a client and bakery co-owner who coordinates her group of five with love and incredible professionalism. She told me, “We always meet together a couple days before [the repayment meeting].  Because if someone is short on their money, we supply it… We help anyone who needs it.”  A naturally soft-spoken woman, Angela has grown close to the women in her group.  She said, “We laugh a lot…  One learns a lot from other people.”

I’ve also visited a group in La Romana that voluntarily pools money beyond their required loan payment.  Every two weeks, they draw a name from a hat, and one fortunate client wins the extra money to invest or save.  I loved watching the group cheer, jump, and hug when the winning name was drawn.
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I have seen that solidarity allows a community to thrive in a way individuality cannot; moreover, it is an awesome reflection of the gospel. Jesus calls us to follow his example: to give of ourselves selflessly, even when it’s messy and complicated.  Through Esperanza, thousands of clients are learning to be vulnerable and available to others, to help and be helped.  As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:16, “From [Christ] the whole body… grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”