Grameen Foundation : Who we are : GF and Grameen Bank
Grameen Foundation and Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank was founded in Bangladesh by Professor Muhammad Yunus in 1976 as a project, and was incorporated as a for-profit, specialized bank for the poor in 1983. It serves more than six million poor Bangladeshi families with microcredit, microsavings, microinsurance and other services. It is owned by the borrowers. It has been a model for microfinance institutions worldwide.
Grameen Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington DC, was founded in 1997 by friends of Grameen Bank in the United States who wanted to help spread the Grameen philosophy worldwide, and wanted to help microfinance practitioners who were working consistent with the spirit and values of Grameen Bank. Grameen Foundation and Grameen Bank are independent organizations. They have no financial or institutional links.
Professor Muhammad Yunus sits on the Board of Directors of Grameen Foundation in his personal capacity at the request of his friends who founded Grameen Foundation, and in that capacity provides strategic guidance to the organization in its work to spread the Grameen philosophy and support like-minded practitioners throughout the world.
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Grameen Foundation : Who we are : GF and Grameen Bank
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 52 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 31 million people in 23 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 27.
+1-202-628-3560 www.grameenfoundation.org
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