Here is an opportunity that may interest some of myKRO’s readers… Live in beautiful colonial Granada, Nicaragua, and volunteer in microfinancing. No experience necessary. We will train you. We make small zero-interest loans to people who make less than $2 a day so they may start small businesses. We are looking for someone who can commit to this position for at least six months, but preference will be be given … Read More >>

One of my favorite aspects of volunteering for En Vía is my role as a tour guide. Twice-weekly, I head out of Oaxaca city with a group of eager travelers, ready to meet the borrowers, get to know the communities, and learn about microfinance for development. The tours form a vital part of our program, with 100% of the tour fees first going to fund microloans for women borrowers. In … Read More >>

Last week I wrote about crop insurance in Africa, and this trend has also merged in Latin America.  MFIs in Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru will be the first to receive assistance to help them develop green financial products and reduce their portfolio’s vulnerability to climate change.  EcoMicro assessed twelve MFIs selected through a three-round regional competitive process, and selected four winners.  These winners are: TeCreemos, Mexico: will develop green … Read More >>

Here’s a video highlighting those entrepreneurs and children Esperanza International works with in the Dominican Republic. I’ve spent a bit of time in the DR visiting Kayla (who works for Esperanza), and this slideshow certainly takes me down memory lane from my trips a couple years ago.

For the past five months, I have been living and working in Mexico for an organization (Investours.org) that combines microfinance with tourism. I had read extensively about the history of microfinance and the work being done all over the world. I  had a pretty good idea about microfinance and its potential to create sustained positive change, but it wasn’t until I got on the ground that I could fully appreciate … Read More >>

Read online: http://www.globalpartnerships.org/sections/newsinfo/newsinfo_nr_SustainableHarvest.htm Seattle, Wash., – Global Partnerships, a Seattle-based nonprofit investor, and Sustainable Harvest, a Portland-based specialty coffee importer, announced today that they have collaborated on an innovative loan product to two fair-trade coffee cooperatives in Latin America: Aprocassi, a cooperative of small-scale coffee growers in Cajamarca, Peru; and Café y Desarrollo/REDCAFES, an association of coffee cooperatives in Mexico serving small landholder farmers. The loans, which were made by Global Partnerships … Read More >>

I’m in Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for the next month or so – and of course you know I’m a microfinance fan. Wherever I travel, I’m always on the lookout for fellow microfinance advocates; this trip is certainly no different. If you know anyone with an interest in microfinance I should speak with in Saint Thomas, please do let me know. I’d love to volunteer a bit for … Read More >>

Nothing like $4.5 million in funding to give the Latin American microfinance industry a boost. From Global Partnerships: $4.5 Million for Excellence in Microfinance Global Partnerships’ Social Investment Fund 2010 makes first loans to six partners Seattle, Wash., – Global Partnerships (GP), a 16-year-old nonprofit that supports microfinance and other sustainable solutions to poverty, announced today that it has invested $4.5 million of its new $20 million social investment fund … Read More >>

“Why would borrowers in Nicaragua protest against microfinance?” my friend Michael asked me a few days ago. Michael and I both majored in Latin American Studies at Berkeley. His email re-ignited my excitement for microfinance in Latin America. When I was studying abroad in Chile I interned with an organization called Accion Emprendedora, which sparked my interest in the intersection between business and social good. Michael sent me this fascinating … Read More >>

I recently returned from a fellowship with Esperanza International. This Microfinance institution serves over 18,000 clients in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I had been conducting interviews with loan recipients for a few weeks and had met many inspiring associates; one in particular stood out to me: Armando was eight months old when his legs stopped functioning. His family was very poor and couldn’t access the high quality health care … Read More >>