In a partnership with Linked Foundation, Fonkoze and Global Partnerships plan to reach 50,000 poor and ultra poor women in Haiti with essential health services. In 2010, 15 percent of the poor market women served by Fonkoze left our program because of expenses related to health issues,” said Carine Roenen, Director of Fonkoze. “For years our ...
While conducting fieldwork for a microfinance organization in West Africa in 2006, Zidisha.org founder Julia Kurnia noticed something startling. Loans that were funded at zero interest by well-meaning participants at popular microlending websites were costing the impoverished beneficiaries more than 35% on average in interest and fees. The exorbitant rates were charged by the local ...
By Diane Lourdes Dick. What is “microfinance”? Does the term refer to a series of financial transactions, or does it suggest a social movement? Is microfinance defined by qualitative factors, or in terms of the economic value of each loan? If the latter, is the value ceiling set in real or relative terms? If the former, what are ...
By Diane Lourdes Dick. To what extent should a state or country regulate microloan transactions occurring within its borders? In recent years, this question has loomed large among lawmakers in India, where microfinance institutions have achieved considerable growth. For instance, a 2004 report commissioned by the German government’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development ...
By Diane Lourdes Dick. In a 2006 publication, the World Bank advocated legal reforms that would allow persons in low- and middle-income countries to borrow against the value of personal property assets. Last year, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law issued its Legislative Guide on Secured Transactions. The latter, a 500+ page report, ...
Please join Global Partnerships for wine, nibbles and a dynamic conversation with CEO Rick Beckett. Rick will provide an in-depth look at the stories and impact behind GP’s work and discuss GP’s new focus on innovative solutions beyond microfinance, such as women’s health education, agricultural training for small-scale coffee farmers and green technology that improves ...
Global Partnerships is organizing a delegation to visit partner microfinance institutions in Peru: Join us for an unforgettable journey to one of the most fascinating countries in Latin America. We’ll travel to remote areas to witness firsthand how people are building businesses and improving their lives with the help of microloans and other support from ...
In July, YMCA launched Ymicro.org, a pilot microfinance program that leverages the YMCA’s worldwide network of over 45 million members to connect lenders and borrowers. The website platform, modeled on Kiva.org, will connect partner YMCAs in Colombia, Sri Lanka, Gambia, and Liberia with lenders from supporting YMCAs who are created groups of members interested in ...
A vast majority of coffee produced in Mexico and Peru comes from “minifundistas,” farmers who own very small plots of land. Without access to markets, these producers struggle to earn livable wages as they’re forced to sell their beans at low prices to local markets or through intermediaries. Additionally, these farmers often do not have ...
After a comprehensive search, Washington CASH has announced the hiring of Derek Birnie to replace outgoing Cheryl Sesnon as the Executive Director of the non profit organization that provides financial services and business training to low-income individuals. Birnie has over twenty years of non profit leadership experience, most recently as the Executive Director of the ...