March 25, 2009 (TED Talks) Jacqueline Novogratz tells a moving story of on an encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute. whose dreams of escaping poverty, of becoming a doctor and of getting married were fulfilled in an unexpected way. (watch video)
AsidesMFTransparency.com has undertaken to bring more sunshine to microfinance–which is good for borrowers and lenders alike.
News and CommentaryMarch 25, 2009 (European Parliament) Pioneered by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, micro-credits have become a way for poor and excluded people in parts of the developing world to access credit allowing them to start up mini-businesses. Now Hungarian MEP Zsolt Becsey wants to extend the scheme to the poorest people in Europe. At midday on ...
AsidesMarch 24, 2009 (Microcredit Summit Campaign) Last week Sam Daley-Harris spoke at a meeting of regional leaders Democracy in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The meeting was held at the Global Center for Development and Democracy with the goal of advancing democracy and alleviating poverty in Latin America. Sam joined a panel of 12 former Latin American ...
AsidesAn 8 minute video describing the Pro Mujer method of combining microfinancial services with healthcare, education, and occupational training.
VideoMarch 24, 2009 (Dow Jones)–Mexico’s microfinance industry is undergoing a major shake-up as the global financial crisis spurs banks that had dabbled in the sector in recent years to pull out altogether, at the same time making funding scarce for specialized lenders. (full article)
AsidesMarch 24, 2009 (Fortune) — When the economic downturn took hold last autumn, the management team at non-profit Kiva.org made a calculated bet to curb investment, anticipating that donors would slow the volume of small loans they make to entrepreneurs in the developing world. That slowdown never came. Now, the non-profit site is racing to ...
AsidesUnitus hosts two of its partner microfinance institutions at the Seattle Public Library for a conversation on microfinance innovations on April 21st.
EventsMarch 18, 2009 (AFP) — Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday warned that the global economic crisis will hit the world’s poorest people the hardest and that “there is no bailout package for them.” The microfinance pioneer, speaking during a visit to Tokyo, said the ongoing worldwide downturn is an opportunity to ...
AsidesMarch 17, 2009 (L’Express.fr) In a study directed by the economist Jonathan Murdoch, to be published in April 2009, a very concrete, in-depth vision of the world’s poorest workers emerges. At a time when we are speaking of so many millions of dollars, and even thousands of millions, it is interesting to take an interest ...
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