iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app

Microlending

Luxury-Travel Writer Turns Paychecks Into Microloans

The Huffington Post | Lance Gould | Posted 05.06.2013 | Impact

Bob Harris learned the handshake that gave him access to the super-secret clubhouse of the extremely wealthy. As a luxury-travel writer, it was his jo...

Perhaps Congress Can Also Honor Dr. Yunus by Paying Attention to Him

Bob Harris | Posted 04.22.2013 | Impact
Bob Harris

Now that our leaders have given Dr. Yunus a gold medal, perhaps they might more truly honor him by considering why.

'Microsavings Programs May Be Key To Ending Poverty

www.washingtonpost.com | Posted 03.20.2013 | Impact

The global financial crisis has turned us into a world of savers — including the poorest people on the planet. Elsa Ligua is one of them. As a fo...

Helping a Small Business By (Literally) Blowing Things Up

Bob Harris | Posted 03.01.2013 | Impact
Bob Harris

Finally: match, fuse, ba-BAMM! We giggle like 10-year-olds. For one gorgeous instant, language, age, religion, and nationality disappear.

Microfinance Pioneer Grameen Bank Weakened by Bangladeshi Government Meddling

Eliot Daley | Posted 08.23.2012 | World
Eliot Daley

What can be done? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Dhaka in May to urge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni to take no actions that would undermine Grameen Bank.

Microfinance Is Down, But Not Out

Moushumi M. Khan | Posted 10.13.2012 | Impact
Moushumi M. Khan

A growing unrest is stirring the global microcredit market. Some are asking whether microcredit has really benefited the poor. Although the spotlight might be uncomfortable, microfinance institutions should welcome this soul searching.

The Course And Success Of The Economy Belongs In All Of Our Hands

Premal Shah | Posted 09.16.2012 | Small Business
Premal Shah

It is difficult to know how any one of us can make a difference in any of our nation's most troubling problems. But, what if the money stored in our wallets had a new purpose, even just for a short amount of time?

Microfinance in the Slums of Mumbai

Jessica Gage | Posted 08.21.2012 | Impact
Jessica Gage

The slum communities are densely packed, with winding paths that have no street names, let alone house numbers, and so although Nilesh has spent time in these neighborhoods, he must often rely on the local residents to be pointed in the direction of the next client.

'How Stuff Works': Making An Impact With Microlending

Josh Clark | Posted 05.28.2012 | Impact
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 | Impact
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 | Women
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 | Impact
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 | Business
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 | Women
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 | Business
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 | Impact
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 | Impact
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 | Women
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 | Impact
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 | Green

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 | Impact
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 | Impact
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 | World

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 | Business
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 | Impact
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.