SeaMo Micro-Conversation with Clint Borgen

June 13, 2011 No Comments

SeaMo recently caught up with The Borgen Project Founder Clint Borgen to get his thoughts on success, microfinance, and the power of the Northwest. Remember to join us as we host The Borgen Project on June 22nd for a Microfinance and Microbrews. Details here.

If you had to point to one success you’re most proud of, what would it be?

I’m probably most proud of the fact that we’ve created a new base of people involved in the global poverty fight and made the cause considerably more engaging then those Sally Struthers commercials. Thousands of people have played a role in The Borgen Project’s work and the majority of them had never been involved with poverty-reduction efforts before.

On the legislative side, our work in raising the profile of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) on Capitol Hill is something I still have congressional staffers mention to me. In the early trips to D.C., most  leaders and staffers we met with had never heard of the MDG’s, so it was a little surreal seeing it’s profile rise to the point where Obama included the MDG’s and cutting global poverty in half into his campaign platform and subsequent White House foreign policy strategy. It took 140 congressional meetings and a small army of volunteers implementing an online MDG buzz campaign, but all things considered, the transformation occurred fairly quickly.

You’re a Northwest guy through and through – do you believe this region can play a special role in pushing forward microfinance and your movement in general?

I’m of the opinion that to change the world you’ve got to be dumb enough to think you can and smart enough to know how… Seattle’s culture produces such individuals with assembly line speed. There’s a population here that thinks globally, cares, and backs their beliefs with action. Naturally, that culture doesn’t happen by chance and that’s where groups like SeaMo are instrumental in bringing people to the cause and keeping them engaged.

As far as microfinance, I’ve yet to find a topic better at building interest in the plight of the world’s poor. It’s bringing a lot of unlikely people to the global poverty fight. I’ve been in meetings with congressional offices that were notorious for being callous and blocking bills that would have improved millions of lives, but you mention the word microfinance and you instantly get a positive response.

What is the single biggest issue right now that isn’t getting the headlines you think it should?

Reducing global poverty creates jobs in America. Over 40% of U.S. exports are now going to developing nations. The small investments the U.S. and our allies made in poverty-reduction strategies in the past have created millions of new consumers. Microfinance is a great example of a low-cost methodology that we should be investing in because it improves lives and is strategic to our economic growth – greater prosperity means more and more people who are drinking Starbucks, flying on Boeing 737′s and using Microsoft Word.

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