Microfinance

Yes, Microfinance Does Work. Here's How...

Kadita Tshibaka | Posted 05.24.2012

Read More: MFIs, Microfinance Institutions, Microfinance Poverty, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Financial Independence, Poverty Solutions, Microfinance Global Poverty, Impact News
Kadita Tshibaka

There's no doubt that the global problem of poverty and its solutions are complex, which is why the microfinance industry needs to approach them with eyes wide open and insist on transparency and results.

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Will College Students Really Step Up in U.S. Microfinance?

Elaine Edgcomb | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Aspen Institute, Microentrepreneurs, Microenterprise, Microfinance, FIELD at the Aspen Institute, Student Leadership Microfinance, Microfinance Leadership, College Student Microfinance, Impact News
Elaine Edgcomb

The U.S. microenterprise field is over 25 years old now, and there are hundreds of organizations that will be looking at leadership transition over the coming years. What's the best way to engage the best and the brightest of the Millennials to step up?

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Empowering Women Farmers Is Key To Ensuring Global Food Security

Roger Thurow | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Farmers Africa, Women, Impact G8, Global Development, Microfinance, Women in Agriculture, Farmers, Agriculture, G8, Dear G8, Impact News
Roger Thurow

bringing the benefits of agricultural development to the farmers at the end of the road, is the challenge within the challenge.

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Why We Learn, Why We Work

Jane D. Wurwand | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Joinfite, Dermalogica, Microfinance, Kiva, Women's Interests, Global Motherhood, Education for Women, Impact News
Jane D. Wurwand

What did my mother want most for me? Prestige? No. She wanted me to be strong, free, independent, and happy. Being productive was the first and defining priority. Should it not still be?

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A Mother's Day Tribute For Women In Need

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Corporate Philanthropy, Women, Impact-News, AIDs Epidemic, Africa, Bblog-Globalmotherhood, Microfinance, Aids Crisis, Global Motherhood, Mother's Day, Religion News
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Happy Mother's Day to every mother on this planet. We acknowledge your sacrifice, your hardships and your undying love. We only hope that we can give back a fraction of what you have given to us.

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The Latest In Social Media For Social Good Strategies

Amy Neumann | Posted 04.26.2012

Read More: Bill Clinton, Philanthropy, Rachael Ray, Microfinance, Kids Volunteering Ideas, Bono, Social Good, Social Media for Social Good, Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Global Philalnthropy Group, Trevor Neilson, Maggie Neilson, Impact News
Amy Neumann

This is the seventh installment of the Impact series, #SocialGoodStars. The people highlighted here are passionate, dedicated philanthropists, strengt...

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Investing in Women Pays Off

Stacie Nevadomski Berdan | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Female Leaders, Microfinance, Women Internationalists, Liesl Riddle, Stacie Berdan, Business News
Stacie Nevadomski Berdan

It is time organizations began recognizing the immense payoff that women offer not only in the United States and in the industrialized nations around the world but also in emerging and developing economies.

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Muhammad Yunus One Of '12 Greatest Entrepreneurs of Our Time'

Posted 04.05.2012

Read More: Whole Foods, Microfinance, Social Entrepreneurship, Grameen Bank, Fortunate Magazine, Starbucks, Mark Zuckerberg, Nobel Peace Prize, Entrepreneurship, Facebook, Whole Planet Foundation, Muhammad Yunus, Video, Impact News

Professor Muhammad Yunus is no stranger to special honors -- having won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to alleviate global poverty through microlo...

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What It Will Take To 'Graduate' 1.2 Billion People Out Of Extreme Poverty

Susan Davis | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: Brac, Global Poverty, Microfinance, International Development, Trickle Up, Poverty, Charity, Millennium Development Goals, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, Impact News
Susan Davis

As we celebrate our success in defeating global poverty, let's not forgot the portion of those still caught in its trap, struggling to reach the bottom rung - and the innovative solutions being deployed to get them there.

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Microfinance: Why Care About Institution Building?

Elisabeth Rhyne | Posted 05.27.2012

Read More: Brac, Microloans, Microcredit, Microfinance, Equity Bank, Financial Inclusion, Mibanco, Promujer, Roodman, Books News
Elisabeth Rhyne

Rather than complaining that microloans aren't enough, those who support microfinance can work on figuring out how to use these great institutional resources to accomplish more.

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TAG You're It!

Jane D. Wurwand | Posted 05.19.2012

Read More: Joinfite, Dermalogica, Small Business, Finance Independence, Microfinance, Kiva, Female Entrepreneurs, Tagurit, Impact News
Jane D. Wurwand

Our digital world creates distance instead of closeness, but this month can be an exception. "Tag" a friend with "#tagURit," and joinFITE will contribute $1 towards a microloan that will empower a woman entrepreneur.

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Creating a Cycle of Sustainable Change

Reid Hoffman | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Developing World, Microloans, Sustainable Development, Microfinance Lending, Microfinance, Kiva, Microlending, Impact News
Reid Hoffman

In Silicon Valley, we deploy technologies and networks to change the world. Can we deploy these techniques in an effort to break the worldwide cycle of poverty at a scale in the millions?

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Using Microfinance to Bring Clean Water to India's Poor

Tom Murphy | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Women, India, Microcredit, Poverty, Microinsurance, Empowerment, Hidustan Unilever Limited, Self Help Groups, David Roodman, Integrated Village Development Project, Credit, Puireit, Microfinance, Finance, Health, Banking, Unilever, Poor, Ivdp, Impact News
Tom Murphy

Mumbai -- A unique public-private partnership involving private sector giants like Unilever and Heinz is improving the health of Indian children. Two ...

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Grannies Revisit Motherhood Because Of Uganda's HIV Epidemic

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Aids Crisis, Corporate Philanthropy, Microfinance, AIDs Epidemic, Global Motherhood, Bblog-Globalmotherhood, Impact News
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

In 2008 we began to help our students' caretakers, their elderly grandmothers. What began as a handful of guardians has blossomed into a program assisting over 6,200 grannies who are self-organized into 91 groups in three districts.

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International Women's Day In The Participation Age

Premal Shah | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Kiva.org, Small Business, Microfinance, International Women's Day, Impact News, Kiva, Microlending, Women News
Premal Shah

"A rising tide of women in an economy raises the fortunes of all families and all nations ... we don't have a person to waste and we certainly don't have a gender to waste."

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Social Enterprises and Solving the World's Problems: How Impact Investing Needs to Change

Geri Stengel | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: B Corp, Global Impact Investing Network, Impact Investing, Microfinance, Benefit Corporation, Antony Bugg Levine, Sks, Micro-Finance, Andhra Pradesh, Giin, Impact News
Geri Stengel

Let's hope that for-profit companies can balance profit motives with social impact because government and nonprofits can't solve the world's problems by themselves.

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What A Nonprofit In One Of The Poorest Countries Can Teach Us About Job Creation

Susan Davis | Posted 04.29.2012

Read More: Youth, Poverty, Microfinance, Development, International Development, United Nations, Africa, Impact News
Susan Davis

How do we address the looming problem of youth unemployment in the developing world? The question was top of mind Monday at the United Nations Economi...

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Women Entrepreneurs on the Rise

Jack Hidary | Posted 04.06.2012

Read More: Robin Chase, Kleiner Perkins, Venture Capital Funding, Women Entrepreneurs, Glass Ceiling, Founders, Women in Business, Entrepreneurs, Hunch, Task Rabbit, Female Entrepreneurs, Kiva, New York, Bay Area, Video, Tech, Nyc, Gilt, Foodspotting, Microfinance, Women 2.0, Caterina Fake, Tinyreview, Startups, Angel Funding, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Docpons, Women News
Jack Hidary

What else can the tech world do to engage more women to start and lead companies?

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Impact Investing Creates Template for Responsible Capitalism

Raconteur Media | Posted 04.15.2012

Read More: Sustainable Investing, Venture Philanthropy, Impact Investing, Investing, Philanthropy, Ethical Investing, Microfinance, The Times, Business News
Raconteur Media

Impact investing has developed out of traditional philanthropy in an effort to find solutions that allow investors to make profitable investments that can also address social and environmental challenges.

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$2 A Year Can Keep Mothers And Their Families Healthy In The Developing World

Suzanne Skees | Posted 04.16.2012

Read More: Nursing, Health, Freedom From Hunger, Global Motherhood, Development, Health Workers, Microfinance, Microcredit Summit Campaign, Health Education, Economic Empowerment, Bblog-Globalmotherhood, Impact News
Suzanne Skees

The non-profit Freedom From Hunger is working to help 1.3 million women facing extreme poverty in developing nations work hard towards goals to grow, advance, and develop themselves, their families, and their communities.

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Microfinance in Bangladesh: It's Not What You Thought

Elisabeth Rhyne | Posted 04.11.2012

Read More: Brac, Microcredit, Microfinance, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh, World News
Elisabeth Rhyne

One of the interesting things about microfinance in Bangladesh is that its intense market saturation has not resulted in a crisis of over-indebtedness or unmanageable default. "Overlapping" is common -- that is, clients taking loans from several MFIs at the same time.

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From Microfinance to Metafinance: A New Tool to Fight Global Poverty

Melanie Walker | Posted 03.24.2012

Read More: Community Projects, Infrastructure, Sustainable Development, Metafinance, Microfinance, Community Loans, Good News News
Melanie Walker

The microfinance revolution created new ways for the world's poor to secure loans. But microfinance institutions normally don't have the capacity or authority to finance community-level infrastructure projects.

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The Never-ending Story of One Donation

Tiffany Persons | Posted 03.14.2012

Read More: Shine on Sierra Leone, Philanthropy, Micro Lending, Microfinance, All for Africa, Charitable Donations, Africa, Good News News
Tiffany Persons

This is the story of one donation, unfolding over time, to affect thousands. Each year, the value of that initial donation expands to new heights and just like that, the impossible becomes reality.

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Collaborative Action Comes to Life in Guatemala

Keith Ferrazzi | Posted 03.04.2012

Read More: Guatemala Charity, Philanthropy, Philanthropy Guatemala, Guatemala, Microfinance, Guatemala Philanthropy, Collaborative Action, Microfinance Guatemala, Collaboration, Impact News
Keith Ferrazzi

A major problem in Guatemala is the economic disincentive for kids to go to school. Either you can pay for tuition and books from money a family doesn't have, or send your child into the fields to make money for food. Carlos was a rare advocate for an alternative solution.

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The Gift of Connecting

Jane D. Wurwand | Posted 02.22.2012

Read More: Joinfite, Entrepreneurism, Small Business, Microfinance, Jane Wurwand, Kiva, Women Entrepreneurs, Female Empowerment, Female Entrepreneurs, Helping Women Entrepreneurs, Impact News
Jane D. Wurwand

I encourage you to find a philanthropic cause that provides meaning in your life. For Dermalogica, and for me personally, it has always been about women entrepreneurs.

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