In The News / On Our Blog   ·         South Asian Bar Association Spotlights GF Legal Team Member ·         Our President Discusses Interest Rate Caps  ·         Measuring Microfinance's Impact: Our Perspective ·         Microcredit Summit Fuels MFIs Passion for Empowering the Poor ·         Witnessing Our Impact in Nairobi, Kenya ·         What is the true cost of microfinance? Get Involved   Join us for our May 7 Webinar, “The Making of a Tiny Loan” More than 150 million people rely on microfinance institutions for loans and other resources. Local organizations rely on donors and commercial lenders to fund their operations. What is the decision-making process behind these critical small loans & how does Grameen Foundation fit in? Find out during our webinar, “The Making of a Tiny Loan,” on May 7.  Register online for this provocative discussion on how we finance microfinance for groups that need it the most.   Support Grameen Foundation by donating or volunteering today! On Our Site  Fall 2009 Edition of Grameen Connections is Now Available Online Unsubscribe Click to instantly unsubscribe from this mailing list. Send to a friend Send this email to someone you think may be interested.

Follow us on Facebook   and Twitter ! Spotlight On Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa Our programs in Africa are opening access to information and creating opportunities for poor entrepreneurs in a number of countries. With a new regional CEO, we are poised to broaden our footprint on the continent, expanding our reach to the poorest people living in the most remote areas. Our initiatives like AppLab and Mobile Financial Services are leveraging technology to arm the poor with much-needed knowledge and make microfinance more efficient. We have implemented Progress out of Poverty Indexes™ for seven countries and launched a two-year initiative designed to help African MFIs better target poor clients and gauge the impact of our work. Back to top

Professor Yunus Spreads the Word about Social Business during 8-City Book Tour Social business, the concept of doing business to address a social problem, is designed to complement capitalism while addressing humanity’s critical issues, especially poverty. In his new book, “Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism That Serves Humanity’s Most Pressing Needs,” Professor Muhammad Yunus explains how to implement and maintain this innovative business model for maximum impact. Meet Professor Yunus and purchase a signed copy of his book from May 14-24 in a city near you. Back to top Happy Mothers’ Day: Women are the Best Poverty-Fighters When Charity’s husband forced her and their seven daughters to leave their home, Charity took their fate into her own hands. She took out a $64 loan with Yehu, our microfinance partner in Kenya, to open a stall selling coconuts. Since then, Charity has diversified the products she sells and earns enough money to fund her daughters’ educations. This Mothers’ Day, we honor mothers like Charity who use microfinance to pave the way to financial self-sufficiency for their families. Learn more about the Pioneer Fund that helps us reach more women like Charity who live in remote, rural areas. Back to top Des Moines Teenagers Organize Concert to Raise Money for Microfinance After learning about the “cool, novel concept” of microfinance, Minh Tan Le, Sarah Mowitz, and Kaavya Parca held a concert in February, raising over $800 for Grameen Foundation. They began organizing the event in August 2009 with help from friends and family. “Sarah's mom woke up at 6:00 a.m. one morning to print posters for us,” Kaayva said. Those posters, along with good grassroots promotion helped spread the word about our work and how we're helping to change lives. "Obviously no contribution can be too small,” Kaavya said. “But don't be afraid to think big when you're planning a fundraiser." Back to top   International Day of Families: Celebrating Our Impact on Millions of Poor According to the Microcredit Summit Campaign, more than 106 million of the world’s poorest families received microloans in 2007. Since 1997, Grameen Foundation’s programs and resources have helped more than 45 million poor people, mostly women, improve their lives. In honor of International Day of Families on May 15, we thank you for supporting our efforts to empower these families in their journeys toward financial self-sufficiency. This year’s holiday examines how remittances have affected the poverty level worldwide. Learn how our partner Fonkoze worked to make these funds available to victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. Back to top Software Teams Hone Skills to Improve Technology that Helps Serve the Poor How can Grameen Foundation help lift people out of poverty? Software developer Adam Monsen says one way is to work more cohesively to provide local organizations with dynamic and efficient technology. In March, Adam participated in a boot camp/action camp with our Technology for Microfinance (T4MF) team in Seattle, WA. The boot camp immersed the team in training specifically designed to help groups work more effectively. During the action camp, they used this training to enhance Mifos, our versatile management information system that our local partners use to better serve the poor on a larger scale. Back to top

 

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