In 2013, social change facilitator Viti Kay Simmons' first book 'A tree needs water to bear fruit: Enterprising women creating reservoirs for poverty alleviation' tapped into the commonalities of women in small business globally. Viti drew on her research expeditions across Australasia and Nepal to contribute to the conversation about microfi nance and a new wave of philanthropy -- one that shifted the ability to make an extraordinary difference within the grasp of many.
Viti contends that hand-outs do not help develop communities; a hand-up is what's needed to achieve self-sustainability.
Bearing Fruit picks up the conversation. While many books theorise about philanthropy, Bearing Fruit presents theory in practice through the activities of Hands with Hands, a small charity working in Nepal and demonstrating what can happen when self-sustainability is done right.
At one level, this book is a valuable resource for community development workers providing insightful lessons in community engagement, microfi nance and social investment.
It is also a celebration of people; how ten years on, Nepali communities, led by their own entrepreneurial women, have changed.