G-20 summit on Microfinance

This year’s G-20 meeting resulted in a decision to create a fund to support small and medium sized businesses, and potential businesses that have creative ideas. It is a decision that will move microfinance a step forward in trying to alleviate poverty.

Read the full article at Mirofinance Focus

World Microfinance News

On November 5 2010, The Andhra Pradesh government published a new guideline for the state’s micro-finance institutions. This new regulation requires that all MFI register with authorities in order to operate. Failure to comply can result in jail time and fines. In the case of multiple loans by a single borrower, the Registration Authorities assess the ability of the borrower to make repayments before approving the loan.

Read the entire article at MSN NEWS

In the News!

Globe's bake sale ended up in St. John's news publication - The Torch!

Check out the Article!!

Donate to Globe!

Interested in helping people in developing countries?

Donate to GLOBE!

*Designate Tobin College of Business Global Micro Loan Program

Your dollars will go to help our borrowers!

Treat for Change Pictures

Today's Bake Sale and Treat for Change went exceptionally well! We collected nearly $400 for our borrowers, but more importantly we raised awareness of MicroCredit around school and the GLOBE program. Dr. Sama even mentioned that shes received a lovely amount of Globe applications for next semester today!

Julie and Claude collecting change equipped with their CAPES and CANDY/CHANGE BAGS

All of our tasty treats!

Susan (me!) with her bag

Kelly's art project

The master designer at work

Treat for Change!

BAKE SALE!!

Who? YOU! and GLOBE!

What? BAKE SALE!

Where? MARRILAC CAFETERIA!

When? TODAY! 12-2

Why? TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT

GLOBE, MICROLOANS,

AND

TO EAT SOME REALLY YUMMY CUPCAKES =]

TREAT FOR CHANGE!

Who? The GLOBE CLASS and G.A.P.

What? Exchange your spare change for yummy candy!

Where? All around campus! Find somebody wearing a Blue Globe Cape!

When? All Day Today!

Why? Early Trick or Treating! Raise money for Globe!

Out of Africa

Indeed, in less than 36 hours, I will be out of Africa, and what I take out of Africa are so many memories, insights, lessons, and hopes.  Let me begin this blog by correcting some misinformation from my last blog.  I discovered today that KiSwahili is simply the African way of saying Swahili, and while Kenya has its own slightly different version or dialect (less formal, really, than that found in Tanzania), all versions are KiSwahili.  "Ki" means "coast" so it is the "coastal language".

Today's sessions were so informative, and many I speak with at the conference agree with me that there is so much to digest and we are operating on overload at this point.  I really enjoyed a work session on microinsurance and learned so much about the challenges facing that emerging field.  I look forward to sharing some of those insights with my colleages at the School of Risk Management.

It is impossible to express how sad I am to leave a place that I am only beginning to get to know just a little. But something tells me I will be back. And meanwhile, I have made many friends among the people in Jamii Bora at Kaputei, the Daughters of Charity, and at all the NGOs and MFIs that are represented here.  I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to experience the indomitable spirit of those who live in poverty and those who labor alongside them to bring transformative change.  While the complexities of poverty do not escape me, I remain ever-hopeful that there are workable solutions.  We have the resources, the technology, and the will -- more so than any preceding generation -- to arrive at a solution to poverty.  We may not make it by the Millenium Goal deadline of 2015, but why not soon after? One thing is clear -- those living in poverty have such great dignity, and have every right to income-generating work, the respect of those they encounter in their everyday lives, and the entitlement to dream and to achieve their dream.  My ambition is to do whatever I can in however small or large a way to help clear away the obstacles to making their dreams come true.

I will be back when in the States -- this is my last blog in Africa, but not my last blog on poverty.

The face of poverty

Yesterday (Thursday) was the height of my experience here in Kenya, because I was able to sit face-to-face with one of our new borrower applicants, Quinta.  After an excellent morning of sessions at the conference dealing with microfinance and agriculture/food security, a topic on which I am presenting at the upcoming Academy of Management meetings, I proceeded to the Daughters home on Langata Road and spent the afternoon with Sr. Deb.  We first dropped by the DREAM center, and Sr. Deb spoke with a patient who approached us "walking" on her knees because she has no feet.  Sr. Deb will be bringing her this morning to the ADP (Association for Disabled Persons) to try and procure her a wheelchair that she can propel with her hands, which would allow her much more mobility.  I was so impressed with the exchange between these two women, not only because Sr. Deb is able to communicate in the local language (KiSwahili -- a Kenyan form of Swahili) but also because she works with those in need in a manner that is never condescending, that is helpful but that also is firm in establishing the responsibilities that every individual has to help themselves, and because in this far-away place, so foreign to many of us, two people from entirely different backgrounds and sent to this earth with entirely different sets of skills and endowments can "meet", relate to each other, and share the same goal. 

We went on to the Gataka village with two Kenyans who work with Sr Deb at the DREAM center -- our driver Charles (an excellent driver!) and Vicky (such a poised and articulate young Kenyan woman).   Gataka is built in a quarry, and is a collection of homes -- not homes that any of us in the West would recognize as such, but homes that are a point of pride for the families who live there -- as well as businesses, livestock, and many children.  The ground is muddy, and the homes are made of mud or wood, often with mud or metal roofs, and typically one room.  There we met Quinta who, along with her husband Isiah Mboya are applying for a loan from GLOBE for a new business.  The business is a baking business, and Quinta is asking for the equivalent of about $100 to buy a small stove, utensils, and ingredients.  Her hope is to make enough money to continue to support the business and carve out a small profit that will help her pay for her four children's school fees.  Quinta's four boys were on hand for the conversation, and are 10, 8, 7 and 5 years old.  Isiah, who had spoken to Sr. Deb earlier, was working in the quarry yesterday as he does six days a week, making less than $2/day, which has to feed his family of six people!  The boys, with a little urging, sang a song for us to our complete delight.  The face of poverty is surprisingly familiar.  Quinta looks like many people you may know and love, or someone you might pass in the street in typical day in the city.  But she is a bit shyer than the people you know, and she is not fully confident in her ability to run a business successfully.  Sr. Deb was so helpful in explaining how the program would work, and easing Quinta's fears.  We have such a strong partner in Deborah, and I am fortunate to know her and to have met her. 

On the way home, we passed by another village where the Daughters work called Bangladesh (like the country!).  In seeing these villages, you might think of them as slums, but they are true villages, incorporating the lively activity of any village -- work, play, family and religion.  We saw many goats lazing about, as well as cows, donkeys and some poultry.  On the road home, we spotted a baboon sitting up on an electrical wire!  Just posing there for us!  The landscape all around these rural villages is extraordinary.  This being the rainy season in Nairobi, everything is verdant and lush, and really quite breathtaking. 

Returning to the Daughters' house, which is a haven of beautiful gardens and tranquility, I could not help but marvel at all the good work that is being done here, and all the need that remains to be met or fulfilled.  GLOBE students -- take heart! Your efforts are not wasted and always appreciated here in Kenya.  And your learning will carry you on to even greater ventures, we hope, in the future. 

I will try to blog again tonight at the end of my day of sessions, and that will probably be my last blog.  Saturday is a field visit, the timing of which does not allow me to visit the business center here at the hotel, which has limited hours on the weekend.  So hope to talk to you later, fellow travelers!!

Do it because it IS possible!

The title of this blog reflects the sentiment weaving through yesterday's conference sessions and opening ceremony -- that the seemingly impossible IS possible, and it is up to us to work for change.  Being in the company of Muhammad Yunus, Ingrid Munroe (Jamii Bora founder), the President of Kenya, the Queen of Spain and the Princess of the Netherlands is enough to inspire anyone -- but of course the real inspiration comes from the feet on the ground doing the work to change their own lives and the lives in their communities.  Relentless, persevering, always hopeful, these agents of change are sometimes the NGOs, sometimes the religious, sometimes the very recipients of grants and loans who struggle daily to sustain themselves, their health, and their well-being, and who often go beyond mere sustainability to become role models for others seeking to rise up out of poverty.  The opening ceremony, with all its pomp and grandeur was exciting, but the real nuggets of the day came from the smaller sessions and the private conversations.  Many of the good people I met at Jamii Bora on Tuesday were there at the conference yesterday to bear witness to the organization's success, and Ingrid let them tell their own stories.  When I went up to them to say hello, well expecting that these women would not remember me with all the people they meet coming through their town of Kaputei, they surprised me with warm greetings of "Hello, Linda" and hugs and kisses.  Everyone you meet here becomes your friend! 
Some of the wonderful people I met yesterday include some founding members of RESULTS; a Kenyan woman named Rose who started her own microfinance organization to help women farmers in rural Kenya -- she now has 400 borrowers, most of whom are HIV-positive, and who are thriving on their plots of land raising cattle and harvesting crops, and doing it all in a sustainable way; Lesley, a young woman from South Africa who is setting up microfinance hub centers in major cities in the EU and Africa to act as local think tanks, engaging young people such as herself who are committed, brilliant and craving opportunities to change the world; a professor from UNC-Chapel Hill who wants to build a microloan program there and seeks our advice and guidance; a former street gang member and criminal, John, who now is a poster child for Jamii Bora and owns his own home; and a regional director of BRAC in Bangladesh who shared stories of how grants, rather than loans, or a tool for allowing the ultra poor to actually get ON the ladder that would bring them closer to a microloan.  We talked about food insecurity, poverty graduates, using the village elite as role models in small communities, the impact of health crises on microlending program success (or failure), and how we might best reach rural communities where the poorest of the poor are being left behind.  It was an intense day filled with more information than I could possibly digest, and I look forward to more today.

I am also going later this afternoon to re-visit Sr. Deb and to meet some new borrowers for our program and see the DREAM facility in action.  Today, I will be sending the GLOBE students new loan applications and pictures for the students to work on immediately.  Kenya -- welcome to GLOBE!

Three amazing days, one long blog!

Blog readers, forgive my absence! Between the limited hours of the business center, a hectic schedule, and a 24-hour bug that had me laid up for one full day, I have neglected my blog-edness, but I am back this morning to share some of my escapades.
Sunday with the Daughters of Charity was such an uplifting (and in many ways, humbling) experience.  I was greeted at the door by Sr. Deborah Mallott, our St. John's GLOBE connection in Kenya.  She is an amazing woman who had so many wonderful stories to share about the work that is done by the community of Daughters there on Langata Road.  Besides the many educational programs they offer, one of the critical projects they have is DREAM - Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition.  DREAM engages in a holistic approach to treating AIDS that includes drugs, testing, a nutrition program and sanitary education -- usually offered by other AIDS patients (peer-to-peer is really the way to go, here in Africa). It boasts a very high compliance rate.

DREAM is located in a number of countries in the African continent, and this DREAM center is located right on the property.  It includes a Nutrition center as well as a playground for the children.  Over 1500 AIDS patients have been treated there, and many who believed that there was no hope left for them or their children, have found a future through DREAM.  Sr. Deb tells me that so many women are infected with AIDS by men who then abandon them, and they have neither the resources nor the capability to get help, since the stigma of AIDS is an obstacle to treatment.  Finding the men who are infected is even a greater challenge, as many of them do not seek treatment, nor do they welcome offers of help.

We were joined at lunch by Sr. Catherine Mulligan, who was so inspiring and a perfect host.  Sr. Kate did the cooking along with several Kenyan novitiates and Sr. Arthur.  So many good souls....Also joining us were two Ladies of Charity from Madagascar, Rose and Odile.  I believe they may help us to get the chicken project off the ground there, and we exchanged contact information.

In terms of loans, Sr. Deb explained some reluctance in having those in her community apply for loans until they seem ready to understand the obligations associated with it in terms of repayment.  I will be returning this week to visit the DREAM center, and perhaps meet one potential borrower, a young man who is HIV-positive and who she deems a good possible candidate for our program.  We will explore other possibilities as well.  Sr. Catherine suggested that one interesting project for the students would be to research marketable business ideas, since many of the businesses the microentrepreneurs launch have very limited profit potential.  For example, making clothing just doesn't sell here, since most do not wear African garb, preferring the cheap and available western attire available through GoodWill and other donating agencies. Students, I think this is a great idea, and an excellent application of your business talents to the objectives of GLOBE!
After a wonderful lunch of lamb, vegetables, salad and potatoes (and CHOCOLATE CAKE -- YUMMY!), and a tour of the grounds, Sr. Catherine treated Rose, Odile and me to a visit to the Giraffe Center, where a giraffe came right up to us and ate cereal right out of our hands! Amazing!

Monday, I stayed in bed all day, down with a nasty bug, so nothing much went on that day!

Yesterday (Tuesday) was my visit to Jamaii Bora's town, Kaputei.  What a day! The ride there alone was an unsurpassed adventure, with the little vans forging creeks without bridges and navigating gullies and pitted roads that go up against the worst sections of the BQE!!  Kaputei plans on housing some 2000 families, and building continues there.  Currently, they have sold about 240 houses, and 100 more are ready to be allocated.  The cost to Jamii Bora members of a 2-BR house is 350,000KS (or about $5000) and a 4-BR is close to 500,000KS (or about $7,000), at interest rates of about 10% (very positively comparable to what they would get from a bank -- but of course, they would never be eligible for a loan from a bank here!). We met some of the original Jamii Bora members who own their own homes now with their loans from Jamii Bora, complete with flushing toilets (instead of the flying ones!).  They showed us how they make the bricks for the homes and tiles for the roofs, and they let us into their homes, their schools, their lives.  We were surrounded by love, and such beautiful children!  We made great friends yesterday!  What was really amazing was how conscious the town is about recycling and ecology.  I captured some of the talks on my flip video and hope to share with all on our GLOBE website when I return. 

I met some amazing people on this trip, all engaged in one way or another with microfinance.  One woman, Gail, has been traveling with Muhammad Yunus for 2.5 years making a documentary entitled "To Catch a Dollar".  I will see a screening of it on Thursday night.  I hope this film gets a wide release so everyone gets a chance to see Dr. Yunus in action!  I also got to meet Ingrid Munroe, founder of Jamii Bora (although she likes to say that it is the street beggars, Jamii Bora's first members, who are the real founders!) and other luminaries in the field.

Today I am off to the opening ceremony of the conference and the first day of official sessions. Can't wait! Talk to you all soon!

Kenyan Kindness

The first thing you notice is the kindness. It is everywhere.  And the smells -- a mix of diesel fuel, earth, the scent of tropical flowers, and humidity. A really pleasant smell that grounds me, somehow.  My first friend here is Cyrus, the driver who picked me up at the airport and had to listen to me exclaim "I'm really in Kenya!" incessantly!  I sat right up front with him in his Toyota truck, and realized that driving on the left can be completely disorienting when one has jet lag!! He taught me several phrases in the local language (and thanks to Abiola (my student from Nigeria), I already knew how to say "thank you" -- which really impressed Cyrus!  In talking, I discovered that Cyrus is a member of Jamii Bora -- the wonderful microfinance organization that we learned about in class, students!  And I will be visiting Jamii Bora's town on Tuesday.  Cyrus bought his truck with a loan from Jamii Bora.  It is exciting to see first-hand the impact that Jamii Bora has on the lives of people here in Kenya.
A little meal by the pool ended my evening. My waiter Geoffrey welcomed me heartily, and greeted me by name again this morning at breakfast (hey, Nan -- this breakfast buffet is to die for!). 
Today, I ventured on my own and by foot to the center of town and visited the Massai market.  What a cornucopia of colors and noise -- fabrics, wooden sculptures, beads...anything you want can be found here!As I was the only visibly western face, I was quickly surrounded by eager vendors.  It was fun bargaining, but I am not very good at it, and certainly paid top dollar for my few souvenirs.  But what a great time! I climbed wearily up the hill back to the hotel. Time for my siesta! Tomorrow, I will visit with the Daughters of Charity for Easter. I brought along a big bag of school supplies for the sisters.  Hope they enjoy them!

Preparing for Kenya

And so we begin the journey. Actually, the day BEFORE the journey to the Microcredit Summit Campaign meeting in Nairobi Kenya.  As I wind down the work week, and communicate with GLOBE students on our various initiatives, I cannot help but think how far we have come in GLOBE since this time last year when we had our first Microfinance Day at St. John's.  With 6 approved loans, and more on the way, we are having a true impact on the lives of those living in poverty so far away from our homes here in NY.  We are inspired by their stories and motivated by their hope.  Tonight, as I pack and make final preparations for travel, I will reflect on how fortunate I am to be able to work in the field I love, with talented students who care about the world.  How fortunate we all are to work with the amazing Daughters of Charity, who strive every day to improve the lives of those in their communities!  I am so looking forward to this trip, which I believe will open my eyes to a world of promise that up to now, I have only been able to read about. 

Peter J. Tobin College of Business Global Microloan Program

Welcome to TCB Globe Microloan Program.