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  History ~ In 1998, in his message for the World Day of Peace, Pope John Paul II recognised th The poor are often obliged to remain outside the normal financial system or to place themselves in the hands of unscrupulous money lenders who charge exorbitant rates of interest. The result is the aggravation of an already precarious situation. For this reason it is everyone’s duty to ensure that the poor have access to credit on equitable terms and affordable interest rates.’
From Old Testament times, a Jubilee Year was a time for putting right what was wrong and for working on structures to ensure equality among people. The Sisters responded to the Jubilee Year called by Pope John Paul II for 2000 by reflecting on the spirit of Blessed Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods and their concern for justice. As a result they formed the Josephite Foundation after establishing the Foundation’s first and major project, a no interest loans scheme (NILS®) in 1999. The Josephite Foundation Management Board oversees the running of the Foundation. The Chairperson of the Management Board is Mimi O’Reilly. The Manager of the Josephite Foundation is Margaret Jones, (pictured). NO INTEREST LOANS SCHEME (NILS®) PROJECT ~ The no interest loans scheme is the largest project of the Josephite Foundation. Its aim is to provide people on a low income, those with a Health Care or Pensioner Concession card, flexible and affordable credit – a no interest loan – in order to purchase household goods and services. Applicants applying for a loan attend a confidential interview and assessment is based upon a person’s capacity to repay the loan. Repayments are structured to suit individual circumstances. All repayments are then recycled into new loans for other borrowers. NILS® are a practical and cost effective mechanism for alleviating poverty. The scheme has enormous capacity to meet multiple social objectives through provision of other related services such as budgeting advice and referral to other appropriate services. For people on low incomes, access to a no interest loans scheme improves their standard of living, self esteem, confidence in managing their finances and consumer knowledge and skills. A client’s involvement with a NILS® develops their sense of belonging to, and being supported by, the community. No interest loans schemes are proactive, use scarce financial resources efficiently and result in significant improvement in the lives of those who access them. People wishing to apply for a loan to any one of the three NILS® conducted by the Josephite Foundation must have:
For information about applying for a no interest loan contact:
Postcodes: 2787, 2791, 2792, 2795, 2797, 2799 Lithgow NILS® – 026352 2077: Julie – Thursday/Friday Postcodes: 2790, 2845, 2846, 2847 Cowra NILS® – 026342 4900: Debbie – Tuesday/Wednesday Postcodes: 2793, 2794, 2804, 2805, 2807, 2808, 2809 NSW NILS® NETWORK ~The Josephite Foundation has played a leading role in the development of the NSW NILS® Network with the manager of the Josephite Foundation being a part of the Working Party of the NSW NILS® Network since its inception 2003 and fulfilling the role of Secretary/Publisher.
The NSW NILS® Network aims to:
More information about the NSW NILS® Network is available at www.nilsnsw.org.au
stepUP LOAN ~ This is an innovative pilot project developed in partnership with Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service, Melbourne, the National Australia Bank and the Josephite Foundation. It is an extension of NILS® – a step up loan. The project is a low interest loans scheme which offers loans of up to $3,000 at a current interest rate of 6.9% to people on a limited income who find it difficult to access credit. The loan can be taken over a period of up to three years. Applicants can borrow for a range of items including household goods, services, cars and computers. A stepUP Loan establishes a lending relationship with a mainstream credit provider, the National Australia Bank. A successful loan application and repayment of the loan will result in the client receiving a positive credit rating.
The criteria is as for NILS® and applicants must have
For more information about stepUP loan, contact Margaret - Monday, 9:00 to 4:30, or Thursday, 9:00 to 10:30 - at the Josephite Foundation, 026332 4866. SMALL GRANTS PROJECT ~The Small Grants Project is the latest project of the Josephite Foundation.
Small grants of up to $1,000 are available from the Josephite Foundation to assist communities with local projects. Applications may be made by a group or individual for a wholly or partially funded project. AIM: To provide support for the education and well-being of families and disadvantaged members of the community.
AREA: The Small Grants Project is available in the NSW local government areas of
PURPOSE: The small grant will meet an educational purpose and/or improve the well-being of families and/or disadvantaged community members by providing resources for education/training eg workshop and/or materials, rent for a meeting place, payment for a guest speaker or teacher.
SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS MUST:
For further information and an application form please use the contact details below. Note: Closing date for applications: October, each year. Any inquiries about the Josephite Foundation can be made to :-
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at peace is always threatened by injustice. One form of injustice that he named was the lack of fair access to credit.