Students fight against poverty with Two Dollar Challenge

Students from the Trockman Microfinance Initiative planned to go Wednesday night having eaten only $2 worth of food, not showering and sleeping in public areas, being essentially homeless for 24 hours. This is the Two Dollar Challenge.

TMI is a club in the Kelley School of Business that offers opportunities for students to learn about microfinance, the act of giving loans to people with low incomes to help build their businesses.

TMI was founded because “some Kelley kids wanted to make a difference,” said Meredith Katz, director of the challenge.

It also gives loans to people around the world through an online network, Kiva.

“Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world,” according to kiva.org.

Katz said TMI members strive to help people through what they learn in class.
Members of TMI stood in Dunn Meadow to raise public awareness for the challenge.

“I hope there are going to be people interested in helping others and alleviating poverty,”sophomore and TMI President Katie Westlund said.     

Katz said the challenge’s top goal is to raise awareness of poverty.

“We have shelter and abundance, and we don’t even think twice about the resources we are given,” Katz said. “To really help someone, you kind of have to take a walk in their shoes.”

Westlund said her outlook on poverty changed when she and Katz went to Panama for Global Business Brigades, which allows students to create solutions to improve the quality of life for people in developing countries.

“We saw firsthand what we were doing,” Westlund said. “It really just changed our perspectives and made us much more passionate about it.”

Westlund said she hopes other TMI members have a similar experience through the challenge.

She also said she hopes people want to learn more about microfinance.

“When we show up in the same clothes, hopefully people will get curious and ask questions,” Westlund said. “The main thing is to raise awareness of microfinance and poverty.”

“We’re giving loans to people across the world in need,” Katz said. “Most of the world doesn’t live like we do. We need to be really fortunate for that.”

Freshman and TMI member Owen Hoepfner decided to volunteer for the challenge because he said it’s a great cause.

“Not only is it raising awareness for microfinance, but it’s a good bonding event for the members,” Hoepfner said.

Challenge participants will also be in Dunn Meadow from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday.

“We have a sign that says the ‘Two Dollar Challenge,’” Katz said. “This is a way we’re fighting poverty. We’re just spreading knowledge.”

Katz said she wants people to realize that much of the world lives in poverty every day.

“We want people to gain an appreciation for ... what we have,” Katz said. “We can have a deeper understanding of how ... the loan is going in someone’s life and how much it means to them.”