Hope For Syrian Poor Through Micro-crediting

This report from the September 8th edition of the Arabic News reports on efforts underway to help Syria's poor through financing small businesses. This trend is called micro-crediting, and the Syrian government - alas, still under a Ba'athist Socialist tyranny - is cooperating with the UN (of all groups!) to help teach and finance poor women in starting small businesses in the rural areas of the country.

This is good to help poor rural families break free from complete dependence on farming. However, this doesn't go far enough in aiding Syrians into a Distributist society. Power has not been de-centralized, elections including other parties have not been forthcoming. And her current tension with both Israel and the US over Iraq does not help matters either.

But micro-credit financing for the poor rural women is a good first step.