Join the San Diego Microfinance Alliance’s lending team on Kiva! SDFMA is steadily gaining more team members and more loans for a bigger collective impact on Kiva.org Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. On Kiva, individuals can loan directly to micro-entrepreneurs [...]
Date archive for June, 2009
Obama promotes ACCION CEO to Cabinet Position
A great illustration of the rapid rise of microfinance is the promotion of a leading figure in microfinance to an important government position. Maria Otero, President and CEO of ACCION International, has been chosen by the Obama Administration to fill one of the six positions of Under Secretaries of Global Affairs who lead the U.S. [...]
Fostering a Liberian Entrepreneurial Spirit
Shopping in the commercial district of downtown Monrovia is eerie. Foreigners own almost every single business of note. The Lebanese presence here is strong, and their hold on commerce in the city is rather alarming. More recently Indian businessmen have moved in, but their presence here is less pronounced, especially compared to East Africa. Why [...]
Today we went to visit some of the centers in the countryside. First we went to Gbowee Town which was about an hour and a half outside of Monrovia. To get to the road to Gbowee town, we drove across Monrovia’s only bridge (the other one is near by, but collapsed) and past the “free [...]
Here is the Press Release from the Office of the Vice President. I have chosen to leave it as is. What the PR man heard is not necessarily what we said in some cases, but overall it was a wonderful experience meeting the VP. International foundation empowers Liberian women… Vice president Joseph Boakai has commended [...]
One of the biggest differences between the “developing” world and the “developed” world is the understanding and conception of time. Here, folks are laid back, and instead of scheduling meetings at 2 they schedule the meetings at “any time after 2.” Things always seemed to get pushed back until tomorrow, and in general stuff takes [...]
Kiva, Accion USA and Opportunity Fund: Invest in US Small Biz
According to ReadWriteWeb (RWW), a tech, startup and social media news site, Kiva.org, Opportunity Fund, and Accion USA have teamed up to allow one version of microfiance to thrive domestically. They’re partnering to allow you to invest in U.S. based small businesses at a time where we need the economic help from anyone who can [...]
So my first day in Monrovia consisted of familiarizing myself with the community. I was expecting to bear witness to overwhelming poverty, a direct result of the catastrophic civil war this country dealt with for decades, and I did. What surprised me however, was seeing the detachment and almost parallel universe in which the development [...]
Microlending in Liberia with the Foundation for Women
I just arrived in Liberia last night after a harrowing tri-continent journey. As a surfer, I am excited to explore a new coastline, as a traveler I am excited to explore a new continent, and as a microfinance practitioner, I am excited to work on a new project. I am a native San Diegan, die-hard [...]
Nine Days Following Microfinance in Peru
Editor’s note: Seattle-based Global Partnerships just led a group of travelers on a nine-day trip to Peru to see microfinance programs in action. What did they learn? A lot–including why you have to have strong lungs to be a FONDESURCO loan officer and the importance of communal meals for communal banks. Read trip leader Chris [...]
Grameen Takes Microfinance to Omaha
Eighteen months after Grameen America launched a pilot program of microcredit lending in Queens, New York, it has announced plans to expand its model into Omaha, Nebraska. Although microfinance has been available in the United States for some time, most providers use a model that more closely resembles the traditional banking model. Grameen America uses [...]
