Microfinance: Not all it’s cracked up to be… Or is it?

A Bangladesh case study on the positive and negative cultural effects of microfinance.
While some tout microfinance as “the vaccine for the pandemic of poverty,” others criticize the extent of its effectiveness. In Bangladesh, microfinance has been connected to improvements in income, secondary school enrollment, food security and infant and maternal mortality rates.  Yet many question whether it actually empowers women, arguing that the change in gender norms has been repressive to Bangladeshi women.

So which is it?

Join us as Ananya Roy draws upon several years of research to take a closer look at Bangladesh.  She will explore the nature of microfinance and its unique combination of financial services, social protection programs, development infrastructure, and political mobilization.  Moving beyond the usual debate of commercial versus subsidized microfinance, Roy will probe deeper into the true effects of microfinance on human development.

You won’t want to miss this!

Join us at the next Silicon Valley Microfinance Network speaker event:

Microfinance: Not all it’s cracked up to be…Or is it? A Bangladesh case study on the positive and negative cultural effects of microfinance.

When: Thursday, October 28, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: SoMa Hub (901 Mission St, Suite 105 San Francisco, CA 94103)
Price: $10 for students and nonprofit employees, $20 for regular attendees. (Tickets are $10 more if purchased at the door.)

For more information and to register to attend go to: http://www.bloomspot.com/san-francisco-travel-edition/svmn-microfinance/ or svmn.net