Writers' Resource Centre member Jasmin Tragas raises money for women in the Phillipines with an insightful and inspiring online book.

Jasmin Tragas believes that “amazing things can happen when a woman breathes life into her dreams and invests of herself to turn those dreams into an inspiring reality”.

This is why Jasmin is investing her time and her passion as a formal ambassador for the non-profit organisation Opportunity International Australia and has committed to raising $10,000 to help women in the Philippines work their way out of poverty.

Her first action as volunteer ambassador has been to put together an inspirational online book project released this week, which is essentially a tribute to women’s investment in life. Jasmin, who is based in Melbourne and also works as a managing consultant and social media advocate at IBM, drew together the contributions of 26 women, including CEOs, photographers, directors and small business owners. Each contributed an inspiring and insightful sentence on the theme of a woman's investment. The quotes have been coupled with beautiful donated photographs and presented as a slideshow.

The idea is to highlight the importance of a woman’s investment. “Investment requires action. Sometimes it involves sacrifice, strength and courage. Small investments and large all have impact. Some women risk their lives to defend and provide for their children. The small community of poor women in the Philippines will invest in their livelihoods, their families and their community,” Jasmin says on the blog she has created for the project, http://awomansinvestment.blogspot.com/. She is asking people impacted by the book to consider making a donation of $10.

The money she is raising will enable 15 to 30 entrepreneurial but poor women to form a Trust Bank. They co-guarantee each other's loans to start small businesses and support their families, working together so that all may succeed in their individual businesses. The Trust Bank is established in a community where over half the residents are living below the national poverty line on about $1-$2 a day. The funding will also provide enterprise development services, including training in business and management skills, social and community issues such as health, sanitation and community participation, and personal development.

View the slideshow
Donations to the project can be made here

Jasmin is a managing consultant and social media advocate at IBM with a background in new media and design. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and young family. She is usually blogging over at wonderwebby.