Event Name: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Speaker’s Corner 37: Microfinance and Energy: Scaling Up Energy Access Through Enterprise-Based Approaches and Innovative Financing

Event Date: May 11 to May 13, 2010

Event Location: Online forum

Event Website: http://microlinks.kdid.org/events/speakers-corner-37-microfinance-and-energy-scaling-energy-access-through-enterprise-based-app

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

Cost: Free

Summary of Event: This online discussion, held through three days, will serve as a primer for the mutual development of clean energy and microfinance.

Background on the Organizer: microLINKS (learning, information and knowledge sharing) was founded by USAID as a means to maximize the effect of USAID microenterprise programs. microLINKS hosts Speaker’s Corner, a monthly speaker series on various microfinance-themed topics, as well as providing a library of relevant resources.

Event Themes and Discussion Topics:

• Interaction of microfinance and clean energy
• How the financial crisis will affect the interest of the microfinance community in clean energy
• Financing clean energy in developing markets

 About the Presenters:

Jennye Greene is a program associate at E+Co, an organization providing capital to African, Asian and Latin American clean energy enterprises.

Ellen Morris is the co-founder of Arc Finance, a nonprofit organization working to expand the financing of energy and water. Her work has focused on bridging the worlds of microfinance and energy.

Jacob Winiecki is the co-founder of Simpa Networks, a company intending to use mobile networks to make solar energy affordable in emerging markets.

Online Registration Address: You must first register for the microLINKS website: http://microlinks.kdid.org/user/register?destination=node%2F320

Upon registering and logging on, choose to join the Speaker’s Corner 37: Microfinance and Energy group.

For additional information you may contact: speakerscorner@microlinks.org (no phone number is available)