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Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Fall 2006 : President's Message

Fall 2006

President's Message

Halfway through our strategic plan, we are on course to having a significant impact on global poverty.

When Grameen Foundation laid out its ambitious five year strategic plan in 2004, our goals were clear. We dreamed of bringing microfinance to five million more of the world’s poorest families, ensuring half of them cross the poverty line within five years, and championing three innovations that benefit the microfinance industry. If realized, our goals would have a significant impact on global poverty.

The halfway point of our strategic plan is here, and our partners have collectively grown over the last 30 months from serving 940,000 families to 2.2 million. That puts us on course for reaching five million families by the end of 2008.

Grameen Foundation also focused on innovation in technology, social performance and financial solutions to increase the availability of microfinance to the poor. We have several breakthrough innovations in the pipeline, and the Growth Guarantees Program is already in full bloom having brought US $5.7 million to microfinance institutions around the world, directly benefiting tens of thousands of poor families.

We are grateful to our nine founding Growth Guarantee donor-guarantors and all of our donors whose funding allows us to pursue high-impact programs like this.

As you read about our progress in this newsletter, you may notice some changes. We now refer to ourselves as Grameen Foundation (GF) and have taken on a new look to reflect our global focus to increase access to microfinance.

With the success of the strategic plan to date, I remain grounded by the reality that our borrowers face, but optimistic because of their stories. On a recent visit to a partner in India, one borrower explained the impact that microfinance had on her life, “Because I got the loan, I am able to feed five children. We all eat better now.”

Thank you for caring,

Alex Counts
President and CEO



Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Fall 2006 : President's Message

- Grameen Foundation - Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.

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