Education & Action

In an effort to increase awareness of and knowledge of best practices within the field of microfinance,
the San Diego Microfinance Alliance hosts various educational events. We have also compiled a series of research portals, microfinance organizations, videos and news feeds for domestic and international microfinance.

Resources

Courses

Donate & Lend

 

Links & Resources ^

  • Easy Money: Microfinance In India - Filmed by San Diego local, Nikhil Bhowmick, this documentary depicts the phenomenon of microcredit and it’s impact in India.
  • Easy Money Part 2
  • Pedro’s Story: A short educational video that explains the basics of microfinance through a personal story.
  • Banking for Change: An award-winning documentary on microfinance, that follows a banker’s work in his local community.
  • Microfinance 101: A video that describes why microfinance is needed and how it impacts individuals, families, and communities.
  • Local Microfinance Stories: This video highlights several microentrepreneurs that have received a small business loan from one of the San Diego Microfinance Alliance’s partnering lenders.
  • Collaborative Capital: Video shown at the 2010 Summit that shows the work of our local microfinance patners.
  • SDMFA YouTube Page: For videos put together by our partners and to watch our favorite videos on microfinance, visit our YouTube page.
  • ACCION San Diego Small Business Blog
    A blog on San Diego’s small business news, compiled by ACCION, a local microfinance organization.
  • Association For Enterprise Opportunity
    A national leadership organization and a voice for microenterprise in the United States
  • FIELD US
    FIELD, a program of the Aspen Institute, is a research and development fund dedicated to the expansion and sustainability of microenterprise development efforts, particularly those aimed at poor Americans
  • Jonathan Morduch- Leader in Microfinance Research
    Jonathan Morduch is a leader in reasearch in the microfinance fields as well as its effects on the development of third world economies and peoples
  • Micro Capital
    A microfinance library and newsfeed, whose slogan is “The Candid Voice of Microfinance”
  • Microsave
    Their market-led approach focuses on putting the clients at the centre of the business is revolutionary
  • Microcredit Summit Campaign
    One of the microfinance industries leading resources to stimulate the interexchange of knowledge and best practices
  • Microfinance Insights
    A commentary and analysis of the microfinance industry
  • The Mix
    An information exchange between microfinance organizations for the purpose of furthering microfinance
  • Banking With The Poor
    The Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP Network) is Asia’s microfinance network that works towards building efficient, large-scale sustainable organisations.
  • Month of Microfinance
    Network of students, professionals, and others interested in microfinance. Their purpose is to promote April as the “Month of Microfinance” and they encourage MFIs and microfinance networks to host events and contests to promote microfinance.
  • Global Partnerships
    Engages the business community and others in advancing sustainable solutions to poverty in Latin America
  • Microfinance Networks
    A networking group that exists to provide mf leaders a channel to communicate with other professionals and leaders in the field
  • Next Billion
    This will unleash a wave of entrepreneurship, collaboration and wealth creation, turning the newly connected into a powerful force in the world economy
  • Seattle Microfinance (SeaMo)
    Seattle based microfinance organization that helps other microfinance organizations develop and grow in the Pacific Northwest
  • Seep Network
    SEEP is an association of more than 40 North American private and voluntary organizations that support micro and small enterprise programs in the developing world
  • Acumen Fund
    A non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty
  • Basix India
    A leading Microfinance and livelihood institution in India
  • CGAP
    CGAP is continually striving to deliver credit lines to those who would otherwise never be in a position to be offered them
  • Five Talents Organization
    A Christian organization dedicated to microbusiness and microcredit lending
  • HOPE International
    HOPE International is a Christian, faith-based non-profit organization focused on alleviating physical and spiritual poverty through microenterprise development
  • Kiva
    Microfinance Lender that caters to small donors and has many outreach programs to college campuses and businesses
  • MicroPlace
    Social group focused on smart investing to end poverty worldwide
  • Microfinance India
    One of the leading microfinance organizations in India
  • Oiko Credit
    Created in 1975, Oikocredit is structured as a financial intermediary through which churches and those interested in alternative investment can channel a portion of their investment resources to development purposes
  • Opportunity Finance
    Opportunity Finance Network is the leading network of private financial intermediaries identifying and investing in opportunities to benefit low-income and low-wealth people in the U.S.
  • Opportunity International
    Opportunity International provides microfinance loans, savings, insurance and training to over two million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world.
  • Prosper
    Largest peer-to-peer lending marketplace, which is based out of the U.S.
  • Unitus Capital
    Unitus is a global microfinance accelerator that acts as a social venture capital investor for the microfinance industry
  • Women’s Empowerment Organization
    Organization that empowers women who wish to open small businesses or grow their existing one
  • Zopa
    A marketplace for social lending, a smarter, fairer and more human way of doing money

 

Microfinance Courses ^

Microfinance Distance Learning Course
Presented by: United Nations Capital Development Fund

Who Should Take This Course
The Microfinance Distance Learning Course was designed for new entrants to the field of microfinance and has appealed to a broad range of people, including policy makers, donors, practitioners, academics and students. Staff of microfinance operations have found this course extremely useful - a chance to step back and see how their work fits into global microfinance initiatives.

Through the self-training online tool, new staff of agencies working in development or staff engaged in other fields are able to expand their knowledge of microfinance as an important part of efforts to fight poverty and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Curriculum
The course curriculum is delivered through a user-friendly, interactive and attractively presented interface. Using the main menu as a road map, an expert narrator guides the student through eleven modules.

Case studies come alive as customers talk about microfinance services and products. Students interview staff members, the board and management of different microfinance institutions to assess the institutional strengths and challenges for growth.

Exercises and computer graphics make financial statements easy to understand and analyze.

Click here to learn more & get started.

 

Donate & Lend ^

Your donation or loan to support microfinance can go towards a variety of organizations. You might choose to help Plant with Purpose, which helps community members set up community banks and teach them proper loan management. You can choose instead to make a loan online, which will not only help microfinance clients, but will most likely come back to you within months, since microfinance loans have a repayment rate of almost 100%. Loans through the websiteKiva.org can be as small as $25, or as large as you’d like. You could also choose to give directly to help organizations such as the Grameen Foundation; founded in Bangladesh by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, it is the world’s largest bank which solely works with microfinance clients.