Conversations Changing the World

Steve Wanta is the Executive Program Director for the Whole Planet Foundation. He oversees the existing portfolio of microfinance programs and analyzes new projects for funding.Conversations can change the world.  It was one such conversation between Muhammad Yunus and John Mackey in 2004 that created the concept of Whole Planet Foundation, which supports microcredit in communities where Whole Foods Market sources products. Starting with just one team member, Philip Sansone opens in a new tab, working in Costa Rica and Guatemala, the support from customers and team members has been so generous that we will have expanded to nearly 60 countries by the end of 2011. Thank you!To learn more about what we are doing, watch this latest edition of Dispatches from the Field, this time from Indonesia.Gratitude is the word that best defines how I feel about my “job” — I hesitate to use the “J” word to describe what I get to do for Whole Planet Foundation.  For the past five years it has been my honor to oversee the microfinance programs that the Foundation supports globally.To date, we have been able to authorize more than $15 million in funds to microfinance partners in 32 countries opens in a new tab because of the generosity of Team Members, Customers, Suppliers and Whole Foods Market.  We view the trust of our stakeholders as a tremendous responsibility and work to ensure that these funds are being directed to strong, mission-driven organizations that are dedicated to alleviating poverty through the provision of financial services.  In order to manage projects across the globe, Whole Planet Foundation has built a team of international development professionals who live in and travel throughout the developing world.  Whole Foods Market continues to cover the operating expenses of the Foundation so that 100% of donations go directly to our partners in the field.While traveling through Asia working with our newest Regional Director and providing direct support to our partner in Indonesia, we will be putting together another series of Dispatches from the Field so our supporters can get a glimpse into the work our team does in the field.  On this trip, we will be visiting partners in Indonesia opens in a new tab, East Timor opens in a new tab, Thailand opens in a new tab, and Vietnam.  Thank you for joining us! You can learn more on Whole Planet Foundation’s website opens in a new tab, Facebook opens in a new tab, and Twitter opens in a new tab pages.