Stanford Social Innovation Review - Site of the Week

To take a broader view, microfinance is one piece of the puzzle of poverty and other social problems.  This week, I would like to share a great site, Stanford Social Innovation Review, which has many news, research articles, and links to leading nonprofits, foundations and social businesses.

There are a couple of critical articles on microfinance - it is always good to hear some criticism in order to improve.  One article from last year,  Microfinance Misses Its Mark talks about some of the problems with microfinance (relatively high interest) and a lack of small to medium businesses that can scale and create jobs.  Unemployment is a huge problem in developing countries, so job creation - relatively high paying jobs with some skills — is very important.

I belive that microfinance is one part of the solution and encouraging entrepreneurship for larger enterprises also needs attention.

Site of the Week: Adelante Foundation - Honduras Microfinance

Adelante Foundation features a series of stories on their microfinance programs in Honduras on their relatively new blog. Meet members of the staff, volunteers and the local clients who are harnessing their microloans to build new businesses.  You can read about preparations for Dia del Niño, or Children’s Day on September 10.

 Check out their blog.     

Get the Adelante Foundation’s Weblog widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

Kiva Communities

Kiva now offers another exciting way to become part of the microfinance community.  You can team up with friends, classmates or co-workers to form a community group that can pool money together for a loan.

A class of students can gain insight into microfinance and the challenges of the developing world by making a loan to someone thousands of miles away.

A company can gain esprit de corps by working together for a social goal of helping others with a “hand up” rather than a “hand out”.

Each micro-entrepreneur is connected to Kiva through a local field partner.  These field partners have local expertise and ongoing relations with the micro-entrepreneurs.

Whether you have been an individual contributor to Kiva or haven’t joined yet, consider becoming part of a Kiva community.

Site of the Week: See More at SeMo - Seattle Microfinance

Seattle is more than a pioneer in coffee and software - it is also a vibrant hub in the world of microfinace.

The Seattle Microfinance Blog  covers local microfinance events, microfinance job postings like Kiva Fellows, and international news such as Mercy Corps efforts to arrange micro-mentors for aspiring entrepreneurs in the developing world.

It was encouraging to see creative events such as an Olympics party that was a fundraiser for Wokai, a Chinese microfinance organization.

Has your local organization hosted any successful fundraisers or events recently?  Please leave a comment so that we can share your success and try to duplicate in our part of the global village.