Microlending

'How Stuff Works': Making An Impact With Microlending

Josh Clark | Posted 05.28.2012

Josh Clark

My Stuff You Should Know podcast co-host Chuck Bryant, our producer Jeri Rowland and I aren't completely unaware of ourselves. As such, we do feel a b...

Creating a Cycle of Sustainable Change

Reid Hoffman | Posted 05.15.2012

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?

International Women's Day In The Participation Age

Premal Shah | Posted 05.08.2012

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."

The Road Less Traveled

Elizabeth Nicholas | Posted 12.19.2011

Elizabeth Nicholas

Examples abound of women in the developing world receiving loans, building businesses, and employing others with their capital, along with investing in education and infrastructure for their families and communities.

Addressing the Credit Needs of the Unbanked

Bill Himpler | Posted 12.07.2011

Bill Himpler

The need for access to affordable credit among the unbanked has been met by a steady call for banks to offer small dollar loans.

The Girl Effect: How Investing In Girls Is Changing The World

Manisha Thakor | Posted 12.03.2011

Manisha Thakor

What if you have some extra cash and are frustrated with the returns available in savings accounts and cash equivalents. I'd like to suggest... investing in a girl.

In Today's Economy, a Good Credit Score May Be a Business Owner's Most Important Asset

Elaine Edgcomb | Posted 11.28.2011

Elaine Edgcomb

Given the uncertain economic outlook and the continued decline of once dependable assets like a home, a good credit score might just be the most important asset to acquire and protect.

Celebrating 30 Years Of Social Entrepreneurship

Alison Craiglow Hockenberry | Posted 08.29.2011

Alison Craiglow Hockenberry

Social entrepreneurship today enjoys the high regard it has long deserved -- fully 30 years after the organization that launched the movement was born.

Back to Bangladesh -- Day 5

Christy Turlington Burns | Posted 08.24.2011

Christy Turlington Burns

Acid violence is a form of vengeance for other types of social conflicts like disputes over land. In most cases the women, young and adolescent girls and girl children are the victims.

A New Day for Gugu

Jane D. Wurwand | Posted 08.21.2011

Jane D. Wurwand

I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to South Africa, where I spoke about microlending, financial independence, and women's empowerment to more than 1,000 women during meetings held in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Honoring All Women On Mother's Day

Jane D. Wurwand | Posted 07.03.2011

Jane D. Wurwand

joinFITE.org (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) is a new microlending website by Kiva.org to benefit women entrepreneurs in low income areas of the U.S. and 56 other countries.

Eco-Friendly Microfinance: It's Time To Clean Up The Bandwagon

DeSmogBlog | Joanna Zelman | Posted 06.06.2011

Microfinance is intended to help the poor. The poor are often the most affected by climate change. Yet, some microfinance programs actually further co...

Can A Microfinance Program Provide A Lifeline To America's Unemployed?

Alexia Parks | Posted 05.31.2011

Alexia Parks

Could a program that was developed to help lift African women out of extreme poverty also help lift America's long-term unemployed back into the workforce?

Kiva.org and the Ripple Effects of Helping Women

Premal Shah | Posted 05.25.2011

Premal Shah

Looking back, I can see now the effect on my life of that moment as a 5-year-old, watching the village woman take my rupee.

Bangladesh Trying To Fire Nobel Laureate From Microlender

AP | FARID HOSSAIN | Posted 05.25.2011

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh's government ordered Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus from his post as head of his microfinance bank Wednesday &ndas...

Scaling Microfinance: An Economic Imperative

Gina Harman | Posted 05.25.2011

Gina Harman

These are troubling times, as the spotlight on microfinance has recently led to unfortunate mischaracterizations and a rush to judgment.

Awesome Foundation Grows Globally, Spreads Micro-Grants for Genius

Alexander Howard | Posted 05.25.2011

Alexander Howard

The growth of the Awesome Foundation has been a net positive for many recipients of its "micro-grants" that leads to some improvement in a given community.

Kiva.org Takes on a New FITE

Premal Shah | Posted 05.25.2011

Premal Shah

Jane Wurwand told me her life story. In many ways, it's a story of entrepreneurship that could go up on Kiva.org alongside the other 480,000 entrepreneurs we've funded over the years.

A Tale of Microfinance in Two Cities

Elisabeth Rhyne | Posted 05.25.2011

Elisabeth Rhyne

Microfinance in India is undergoing a crisis caused by a toxic mix of mushrooming growth and political volatility. As they ponder their next steps, p...

Micro-lending Sites Let You Give Gifts and Do Good

Larry Magid | Posted 05.25.2011

Larry Magid

Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of showering friends and family with gifts, whether from local stores or your favorite e-merchants. But as we get ready for the holidays, we should also take time to think about ways we can make a difference.

Kiva.org Expands Microloans To College Students

HuffPost | Victoria Fine | Posted 05.25.2011

The world's first microlending website, Kiva.org, believes that a quality education for ambitious students in developing countries may be only $25 awa...

Microlending In America: Can This Third World Success Come Overseas?

Huffington Post | Jonathan Daniel Harris | Posted 05.25.2011

With the advent of sites like Kiva, the popularity of microlending is spreading, and may soon rival nonprofit donations as the prominent method of sup...

BeadForLife, Microlending Nonprofit, Helps Ugandan Women Become Entrepreneurs

Posted 05.25.2011

Nonprofits, like many international aid organizations, alleviate poverty in developing nations by providing resources to female entrepreneurs. As Forb...

'Cyber-Begging' Emerges As A Way To Chip At College Debt

Posted 05.25.2011

When the going gets tough, the tough turn to the internet. At least that's what's happening on Sponsormydegree.com, a Denver-based microlending site...

Trickling Up the Ultra Poor Works

Jonathan Lewis | Posted 05.25.2011

Jonathan Lewis

Two billion people live on two dollars a day or less. Working with local partners overseas, Trickle Up first delivers basic business training and microloans for the ultra poor.