Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - Volumteers

World Concern: Reaching 153,000 AIDS orphans

Gerard — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:59:45 GMT

While it's sometimes hard to quantify success, one thing is certain – the ripple effect and long-term effects of good development work impact more people for generations to come than any of us will know.

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Three Innovation Takeaways from Asia

Gerard — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:18:29 GMT

The West is overly discounting Asia's growth potential. Innovation has never been more accessible. We're on the verge of a golden age of innovation. The human side of innovation must be addressed. More focus must go to solving the first mile problem... Written by Scott Anthony from Singapore

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Afganistan: Microfinance faces hurdles in empowering women

Gerard — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:42:42 GMT

More than 1.5mn loans worth $831mn have been given out in the past seven years, said the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA), which was set up by the government in 2003 to coordinate the sector. Thirty years of conflict have shattered Afghanistan’s economy and infrastructure, leaving two-thirds of the roughly 30mn population illiterate and at least a third in dire poverty.

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Global launch of GEO Legacy Guidance for sustainable golf development

Gerard — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:40:57 GMT

The Golf Environment Organization's GEO Legacy Guidance launched to widespread acclaim following previews at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Bangkok and the European Golf Course Owners Association Conference in London.

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Opinion: The Myths Behind Microfinance

Gerard — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:40:31 GMT

Debate over the value of microfinance in the developing world appears to be long overdue. Arguments against microfinance center around the claim that it is a development strategy increasingly forced on the poor, and that those who are claimed to benefit from it the most--poor women--are actually its chief victims. Critics have long sought a platform to reveal the weaknesses and explode the myths supporting microfinance.

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Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes launches Jumo, social network for social activism

Gerard — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:09:05 GMT

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining.

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Zambia: Gender and Rural Finance workshop at Lusaka

Gerard — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 21:57:14 GMT

The grant funded a one day workshop in Lusaka to look at gender issues in rural microfinance programmes. 43 people participated in the workshop, including managers and gender specialists from government ministries, financial institutions, community based organizations and NGOs, donors and colleges. There was also participation from IFAD and FAO.

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Cyprus : Females in the Arts announce Nicosia Regional Branch

Gerard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:47:28 GMT

Since the launch of FITA in January 2010, the Group has rapidly expanded with new Members teaming-up together to generate awareness in Cyprus of female artists, artisans and designers.

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Microfinance: Little loans, big trouble

Gerard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:27:39 GMT

Microfinance was supposed to mean economic empowerment for the poorest of the poor, many of them female villagers living in India's southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh. Instead, the sector has spiralled into crisis in recent weeks, where the state is blaming 57 recent suicides on aggressive loan collectors.

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Opportunity International Encourages Citizen Diplomacy and Economic Empowerment

Gerard — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:17:24 GMT

Claudia Kennedy, Member of Opportunity's Board of Advisors and First Woman U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Encourages Individuals to Recognize Their Power to Improve People's Lives Around the World.

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Rise of the social entrepreneur

Gerard — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:58:50 GMT

rise of entrepreneurial innovations that use mainstream financial instruments to facilitate social development. Corporate social investment (CSI) experts predict that a growing merger between social entrepreneurship and CSI will be one of the world's top trends in the future.

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Opportunity International: Giving the Poor a Working Chance

Gerard — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:49:10 GMT

Opportunity co-founder and former president of Bristol Myers International Corporation, the late Al Whittaker, encountered poverty as he travelled throughout the world in the 1960’s and 70’s. He asked the people he met: “What do you need?” They replied: "Work. With jobs, we will solve our own problems."

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Can microfinance programs heal rape victims in Congo?

Gerard — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:30:12 GMT

Microfinance programs geared toward African women can actually help heal victims of rape the same way that psychological counseling does – by restoring self-respect.

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The Rise of Sustainable Investing for Institutions

Gerard — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:09:28 GMT

Why the time is right for sustainable thinking by pension funds and institutional investors: When Roger Urwin, global head of investment content at Towers Watson, the investment consultant, turns his mind to a subject, the pensions world listens. Urwin, one of the most influential investment advisors around, has worked with many of the world’s largest retirement schemes. His recent attention to the theme of sustainable investing is notable because of his experience in the reality of pension fund practice and governance.

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South India: Samasta Microfinance

Gerard — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 08:46:10 GMT

Samasta Microfinance is a public limited, for profit Non Banking Financial Company, established in March 2008. We offer microfinance solutions to the urban and rural poor in South India, and currently operate in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Their aim is to drive social change and be a catalyst for entrepreneurial ambition by providing a host of financial and non-financial products to our members. Their loan products are geared towards income generation supplemented by loans for education and social commitments. Samasta's operations use the Joint Liability Group (JLG) model.

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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Gerard — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:27:56 GMT

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) at Colorado State University provides innovative training in community-based development (online and face-to-face), consultation, evaluation, and project support services for individuals and governmental, international non-governmental, and community-based organizations around the world.

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Village Earth : Sustainable Village Based Development

Gerard — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:39:48 GMT

Village Earth's mission is to help reconnect communities to the resources that promote human well-being by enhancing social and political empowerment, community self-reliance and self-determination.

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Asian Microfinance Forum 2010 concludes with success

Gerard — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:25:41 GMT

The three-day Asian Microfinance Forum 2010 wrapped up bringing to a close three full days of conferences, panel sessions and seminars all of which were well attended by almost 500 delegates from 50 countries who were in Colombo for the event as well as many local industrialists, bankers and other interested parties.

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Microfinance groups help small businesses grow

Gerard — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:47:37 GMT

Three years ago, Loretta Nguyen took a business training class and scraped together several thousand dollars to start silk screening T-shirts and hoodies that she initially sold at street fairs and over the Web.

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Italy offers microfinance expertise to Pacific

Gerard — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:18:32 GMT

A renowned microfinance training centre in Italy will welcome representatives from five Pacific Island countries.

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From Change-A-Life, a reward for excellence and hard work

Gerard — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:59:00 GMT

For little Nkamere Precious, Opayemi Toluwani, Ebuka Uba, Umoh Uwana and Miss Ngozi Ogudu, the 2010 Children’s Day will ever be remembered for the impact it is going to make in their lives. It was the day they were rewarded for their outstanding performance and achievements for the year with a minimum of between 10 As and 14 As out of 12 to 16 subjects they sat for in their various schools.

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Great female IT role models: Sheetal Mehta

Gerard — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:22:40 GMT

Sheetal Mehta is founder of Shanti Microfinance, which is a social enterprise charity that provides access to technology and capital for entrepreneurs in slums and villages in Gujarat, India.

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WORLD BANK VIDEO: MONGOLIA: MICROFINANCE HELPS RURAL BUSINESSES

Gerard — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:55:31 GMT

In Mongolia, a microfinance system supported by The World Bank and its international partners helps create business opportunities in poor rural areas through the Mongolia Microfinance Development Fund and brings development to remote areas that have been severely affected by the global economic downturn.

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Bankers without Borders to expand microfinance programme

Gerard — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:42:16 GMT

Bankers without Borders, a nonprofit that recruits finance executives to volunteer their time and expertise at microfinance projects in developing countries, has secured a $3m grant from JPMorgan Chase to expand the programme.

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OPINION: Reinventing microfinance in Pakistan

Gerard — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:33:14 GMT

Poverty certainly emerged as the single most problem that lies at the heart of modern day crisis. It quite recently has assumed alarming proportions. Many efforts were made in the past but they could not wholly succeed. Among significant tools, the microfinance was also used for getting rid of poverty which quite recently plagued the whole world. There is always a room for innovation to be introduced to already existing structures. Though microfinance made some gains in alleviating it but with sufficient services the amount invested lie in the danger of being spent on the items of daily use owing to extreme poverty.

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Jewish & Palestinian Students Unite to Empower Entrepreneurs in the Middle East

Gerard — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:50:50 GMT

Jewish & Palestinian Students Unite to Answer Obama’s Call to Action in Cairo by Launching Lending Site to Empower Entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

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Sejal Hathi Empowers Girls

Gerard — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:44:19 GMT

Founder of an international nonprofit, a speaker before the World Bank, Presidential Scholar, a veteran in microfinance, participant in a discussion with the Dalai Lama — the graduating senior from San Jose's Notre Dame High School has packed more into her slender years than most people do into a lifetime. And she's not yet 18.

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Australia: National Volunteers Week

Gerard — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:22:15 GMT

This year, the week of 11-17 May has been declared National Volunteers Week, and Opportunity International Australia would like to recognise all the Ambassadors, volunteers and Board members who so generously volunteer their time, skills and expertise to help us with our cause. From university students and interns to industry professionals and experts, we have many volunteers helping us out across the country, helping us increase our outreach to more people living in poverty.

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A star is born...

Gerard — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:56:40 GMT

Welcome to this blog about Microfinance, Innovations and Sustainable Development

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