Submitted by Observing
There was an old lady who lived in a shoe with six hungry children and a light bill for the month so she didn’t know what to do. She went to the bank for a loan, but they said no, “we can’t lend to you.”
A few months later the bank had an opportunity with the Internal Mock Fund (IMF) to receive a 10 million dollar grant, as long as they showed that they helped one vulnerable person. When the old lady tried again, the bank said YES! but only as long as you can show that you used the money to build the capacity to feed your children and pay at least one month’s utilities.
The lady took the money and bought a stove. She then bought a set of pots and pans. She bought a refrigerator. Since the bank managers were coming over to inspect, she spent the rest of the money on 2 bottles of wine, a welcome mat and some balloons.
When the bank managers came they checked off their boxes.
Was the old lady vulnerable? – check
Was money disbursed? – check
Was a new stove bought? – check
Was a new fridge bought? – check
Are the appliances working well? – check
Are there utensils in place? – check
Were utilities paid for the month? – check
Is the old lady happy? – check
Were the managers entertained? – check
Did the children eat? – No
They all smiled. After all, meeting 9 out of 10 goals represented an absolute success!
The bank managers drank the wine said farewell and left a 40 year loan agreement with the old lady. Off they went to the Internal Mock Fund to report that all was well and that the vulnerable were well taken care of. In other words 90% of requirements were met. They then collected their grant and reinvested it to the benefit and joy of their stockholders while publishing a glossy end of year annual report.
Later that night the children asked the old lady “What’s for dinner”
She said, I didn’t have enough left to cook a big meal, so we will just use some noodles flavoured with beef sauce instead. We will have to worry about tomorrow when it comes. Oh, and by the way, the doctor said I might die soon, so here is this loan agreement for you to take care of and don’t forget that next month’s light bill should arrive soon. Night night, sleep tight.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The end.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.