By Getaneh Gobezie; published by UN Women; September 2011; 17 pages; available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw56/egm/Gobezie-RP-2-EGM-RW-Sep2011.pdf.
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MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Exploring Linkages: Women’s Empowerment, Microfinance and Health Education; By Lora du Moulin, Jean Pouit, Leyla Sharafi, Aminata Toure, Kai Lashley, Barbara Ryan, Gayle Nelson and Divya Alexander; Published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
By Lora du Moulin, Jean Pouit, Leyla Sharafi, Aminata Toure, Kai Lashley, Barbara Ryan, Gayle Nelson and Divya Alexander; published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); design and analysis of study by Research and Applications for Alternative Financing for Development (RAFAD); 2011; 15 pages; available at http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/7262
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Microfinance Programs and Better Health: Prospects for Sub-Saharan Africa; by Paul M. Pronyk, James R. Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch; Published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
By Paul M. Pronyk, James R. Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Volume 298, Number 16, October 2007, available at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/298/16/1925.pdf
In this paper, Paul Pronyk, James Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch examine available evidence on the potential for microfinance to contribute toward achieving the United Nation’s (UN’s) Millennium Development Goals (MDG), with specific focus on improvements in health and the challenges and opportunities for expanding such outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular.
CGAP Microfinance Dealbook: May 2009 Transactions
The CGAP Microfinance Dealbook publicizes microfinance capital market transactions in an effort to bring greater transparency to the industry. This information is made freely available as a public service. Parties to microfinance transactions are encouraged to submit their deals to this effort. The following deals were collected for May 2009:
MICROCAPITAL STORY: BlueOrchard Finance Disburses Over USD 28m to Microfinance Institutions in May
BlueOrchard Finance disbursed over USD 28 million in loans to 13 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in May. As reported to the CGAP Microfinance Dealbook, BlueOrchard Finance loaned USD 15.5 million through the Dexia Micro-Credit Fund and USD 1 million through the BBVA Codespa Microfinance Fund. BlueOrchard is also an advisor to the Microfinance Enhancement Facility, launched by the International Finance Corporation and KfW Entwicklungsbank, which disbursed its first four loans totaling USD 12 million.
PIONEERS IN MICROFINANCE: Five Asian Pioneers: Mechai Viravaidya of Thailand, Anton Soedjarwo of Indonesia, Vijay Mahajan of India, Bambang Ismawan of Indonesia, and Karunawathie Menike of Sri Lanka
Microcapital has identified the following five Asian microfinance “pioneers,” individuals who have made long-standing contributions to the evolution and promotion of microfinance practices and/or technology in Asia: Mechai Viravaidya of Thailand, Anton Soedjarwo of Indonesia, Vijay Mahajan of India, Bambang Ismawan of Indonesia, and Karunawathie Menike of Sri Lanka. Below are short descriptons of the contributions of each:
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Tell It Like It Is! Transcript of Peter Marchetti, Co-Founder of FDL (Local Development Fund) of Nicaragua, Addressing IDB Conference in Bolivia (in English and Spanish)
In his award speech at the Interamerican Development Bank’s (IDB) Eighth Gathering of Microenterprises in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on October 6 – October 7, 2005, Peter Marchetti, Co-Founder of FDL (Local Development Fund) of Nicaragua made the following comments (Spanish version below):
It is an honor for me to be here once again, in Bolivia, the capital of microfinance in Latin America. A warm welcome/salute to all of you from Nicaragua and in the name of the FDL. As a Jesuit priest, I salute particularly FONDECO, our sister institution in Santa Cruz. Congratulations to all the professionals of the FDL and of the Institute of Investigation of Nitlapan. In particular, to those who co-founded it with me there is now 15 years, to Arturo Grigsby, and to Carlos Barrios. Also to the second generation of the FDL, to Julio Flores, Eberth Hernandez and Elizabeth Campos, who have worked so hard all these years, and who have contributed to the professionalism of these institutions, and to their roots in so many places all over Nicaragua.
Does Microfinance Really Reduce Poverty? What You Should Know Before Investing
The question of poverty reduction is for good reason of the highest importance to those within the microfinance community. Maybe the answer is intuitive to you, but the details make for great controversy. A recommended retrospective on the topic (52 pages long):
"Written by Nathanael Goldberg, Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Stock of What We Know provides an interesting guide on the effectiveness of microfinance programs and the divergence in opinion among experts. It examines roughly 100 impact evaluations released since 1986, including Reaching the Poor with Effective Microcredit, Mahabub Hossain and Catalina P. Diaz’s report on Grameen-style microfinance in the Philippines, and Microfinance and Poverty, a new study published in 2005 by Shahidur Khandker."
Mr. Goldberg conducts a comprehensive review of studies evaluating the impact of microfinance, something that up till now has been lacking. Although there are discrepancies among the data, he finds evidence that microfinance impacts include increases in empowerment, contraceptive use, and improved nutrition. He also highlights the key determinants of impact which include the control of loan, incoming poverty level and family crises. Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Stock of What We Know is certainly worth a read. Links to the original studies are also available and useful for a more in-depth look. While the paper provides clarity in many respects, this is still an area of tremendous debate åö what are the types of impacts investors want to see? And what is the best approach to measuring impact? The battle roars on between those favoring quantitative methods and others who back social performance measures.