Rachel Cook, a 2002 Sandy Valley graduate and daughter of Terri and Mark Cook of Magnolia, is directing her first film.

The film is a documentary focusing on microlending to women in poor countries. Rachel wants to explore how people can use microloans-- loans as small as $25-- to better the lives of these women, as well as the lives of their families and the overall economy of their countries.

To scout for locations for the film, Rachel visited Paraguay over Thanksgiving and met some of the women who may be featured in the movie.

"Some of the families I met had as many as nine or 11 children, and they make due on as little as $2 a day," Rachel says. "But many talked about how their lives were transformed with their first microloan. They used the money to buy fruit, or coal, and then they sold it door-to-door, or in a local marketplace. One family I met was able to build a new house-- they made the bricks themselves-- using money they had made selling their products. And they wouldn't have been able to do that without a microloan. They were so happy-- this family with four daughters, and one was a newborn. They talked about how it had changed their lives."

In addition to filmmaking, Rachel also works as a Futures Trader at a Chicago-based trading firm. Because of her background in finance, she thought it was particularly interesting to see how microlending is not only something that can help the poor, but that it's also a good investment.

"Returns on microloans are usually around 10 percent," Rachel says. "The poor people who take the loans learn how to manage their money, and they pay the loans back. A 10 percent return makes for a good investment no matter where you are. And smart investing helps the economy overall. In the film, we'll look at how microlending helps not only families and individuals, but entire countries."

"I care a lot about helping people who need it," Rachel says, "and I think this film will be able to accomplish that. I want to invite anyone else interested in helping to visit our Web site and learn more about the cause!"

To help with the film and to learn more about the project, visit www.microlendingfilm.com.

"All donations, even those as small as $1, are gratefully accepted," Rachel concluded.