Aardman has created a colourful animation for Bristol microfinance charity Deki and to celebrate you could win a personalised, signed drawing by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park! You can watch the animation below and find out how easy it is to help people in the developing world work their way out of poverty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBrYjSeTpkU
As the video explains, Deki helps people in the developed world loan money to those in countries such as South Sudan, Malawi and Ghana. Loans don't have to be big - just £10 can make a huge difference to people struggling to keep their families in food and clothing.
In the animation, Ben loans Brigitte, a mother and small business owner in Malawi, the money she needs to buy a sewing machine so she can develop her tailoring business and earn enough money to feed her children. Without help from charities like Deki, Brigitte would never be able to get her business off the ground. But with the help of a loan she can make more clothes more quickly, and within just a year she's paid back Ben's loan. Ben can then either reinvest in another entrepreneur or keep his money.
The impact on communities struggling to get out of poverty is significant, with around four of five people benefiting from just one Deki loan. The loans not only help the initial business owner but they can support long-term improvements amongst communities in need, helping people to access clean water, send their children to school and save for the future.
Once you've watched the film you can then enter the competition to win a personalised and signed piece of artwork by Nick Park, who is a patron of Deki. All you have to do is enter an email address to be included in the prize draw.
To find out how you can make a loan to someone in need, visit the Deki website here.