Investments

Some time last year a friend asked if she could borrow some money so that a relative could invest in a cow. I agreed. For several months, therefore, I was part-owner of a cow. (Just don't ask me which part of the cow I owned....)

Last week this same friend asked if I could loan some money so she could pay her university fees. I asked her a number of questions and didn't answer her at the time. However, early this week I contacted her by phone and asked if she still needed some money. She did. I told her that I would be willing to lend her the full amount. My friend had obviously been thinking about how her family could pay back a loan for she immediately responded, "Oh! And don't worry. Mum is raising a pig which will be ready to sell at the end of next month, so I can give you the money at the end of August."

Maybe this is an opportunity to invest in a young woman's education. Perhaps it is an investment in the future of a nation...but I like the sound of a low-return investment in a provincial pig.