For those in Seattle and interested in microfinance, I hope you attend SeaMO’s Holiday Happy Hour at Barca tonight! Here are the logistics:

Where: Barca 1510 11th Avenue Seattle, WA

When: Thursday, Dec 16, 5:30 -7:30 pm

What: Get together one last time in 2010 to celebrate the progress toward financial inclusion and to hear about the upcoming year for SeaMo. Learn about the first ever Microfinance Unconference, big changes to our website, and other exciting initiatives on our horizon!

Here is the Letter from SeaMo Executive Director, Melisa Samuelson that was included in their email reminder this morning:

With the holiday season in full swing and 2011 right around the corner, I find myself reflecting on all that has been accomplished and all that remains to be done to ensure all people have the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty.

This year, the movement has faced arguably the greatest challenges since the inception of modern microfinance over 30 years ago.  However, in spite of recent upheaval in India and periodic scrutiny in the world press, I truly believe that thesechallenges are opportunities to think more creatively about how to improve financial inclusion for the underserved and move us closer to eradicating poverty.  I believe this trying time will ultimately be understood as the beginning of the next great era of innovation in serving the poor.

Furthermore, I know a lot of smart people who are committed to the cause and haven’t lost sight of the original mission to eradicate poverty, and this gives me much hope.  You, our SeaMo community, through tweeting, subscribing to our newsletter, connecting with us on Facebook, and attending our events are a constant reminder of that fact.

With SeaMo being entirely run by volunteers, I’m also inspired by the dedication and the countless hours that our board members have invested this past year to connect the microfinance community.  While continuing our regular Microfinance & Microbrews events –a total of five this past year with Lumana, Totem, Save Together, Washington CASH, and Jolkona–we have also branched out and tried some new event formats this year, including:

• A fundraiser for Haiti raising over $3,500 for Fonkoze.org.
• A happy hour co-hosted with Vittana that raised $461 to fund a SeaMo lending group funding four students to continue their post-secondary education in Vietnam, Nicaragua, & Peru.
• A Mobile Banking Lecture Event with Ignacio Mas of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• A Careers in Microfinance panel discussion & reception with the Global Business Center at the UW Foster School of Business.
• A panel discussion on Social Performance Metrics, co-hosted with Oikocredit, Global Washington, & the Global Business Center at the UW Foster School of Business.

And yet I´m reminded that there is a lot of work ahead of us in 2011, as 2.5 billion people still live on less than $2 a day, many lacking access to basic financial services.

To that end, in addition to our regular programming schedule, we are planning perhaps our most ambitious event yet–SeaChange, The Microfinance Unconference.  A facilitated, participant-driven “unconference” to generate solutions that will increase financial empowerment of the underserved and advance microfinance beyond microcredit, SeaChange will take place in June 2011 on the University of Washington campus (details to be announced in the next month).

In the coming year, we look forward to connecting with you whether online or offline, and advancing microfinance to truly serve the people that need it.  Here’s to a world without poverty!

Happy Holidays!

Melisa Samuelson
Executive Director, SeaMo

Lastly, here is a link to the Facebook event. Hope to see you there!!

This year, the Grameen Foundation has expanded their work in China, saw great results from their mobile projects in Africa, and established a regional office for Latin America in Colombia. On November 10th, Alex Counts and Jennifer Meehan, CEO – Asia Region, will review their work in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  Here’s the info to join the webinar:

Webinar: Year-End Wrap Up
Date: Wednesday, November 10th
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/614217795

Salma Hayek Pinault Serving as Honorary Chair at November 1st Event
The Weberg Foundation and Whole Food Market’s Whole Planet Foundation Honored

Pro Mujer, an international development organization that provides women in Latin America with the means to build livelihoods for themselves and futures for their families through an integrated approach of microfinance, business  training and healthcare, today announced the celebration of empowering Latin American women at its annual “Giving Women Credit” benefit. Mexican actress, director, producer and humanitarian, Salma Hayek Pinault will serve as Honorary Chair of the event which will be held on Monday, November 1st, 2010 at the Mandarin Oriental in New York.

“Giving Women Credit” is Pro Mujer’s largest fundraiser of the year with proceeds going to help women in Latin America gain access to microfinance, business and empowerment training and healthcare.

At this year’s event, Pro Mujer will recognize The Weberg Foundation for its commitment to supporting important social causes through its philanthropic initiatives. In addition, Pro Mujer will honor Whole Food Market’s Whole Planet Foundation for their commitment to empower the poor living in developing communities in Latin America that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products.

Rosario Pérez, Chief Executive Officer for Pro Mujer, said, “As Pro Mujer celebrates its 20th anniversary providing women in Latin America with a sustainable way to lift themselves out of poverty, we are delighted to honor The Weberg Foundation and Whole Food Market’s Whole Planet Foundation; organizations committed to poverty alleviation in developing communities around the world. We are also delighted to have Salma Hayek Pinault, a Pro Mujer supporter and a devoted humanitarian, serve as our Honorary Chair. We are thrilled to have such steadfast partners as we continue to reach underserved women in Latin America.”

Salma Hayek Pinault added, “I am honored to serve as the Honorary Chair for Pro Mujer’s annual ‘Giving Women Credit’ benefit as they celebrate this wonderful milestone. As a woman and a mother, I believe all women should have access to the tools they need to succeed and give their families a brighter future. For the past 20 years, Pro Mujer has dedicated itself to empowering women to transform their lives and those of their children and families; a mission which is dear to my heart.

Gail Bradley, a representative for the The Weberg Foundation added, “Pro Mujer’s approach to empowering poor women in Latin America through financial, social and healthcare services is both innovative and sustainable. We are proud of the impact Pro Mujer has on the lives of women and their families and look forward to supporting them in their continued success.”

Lee Valkenaar, Co-Chairman of the Whole Planet Foundation, said, “Whole Planet Foundation is honored to be recognized by such a wonderful organization such as Pro Mujer, which operates in four of the countries around the world where Whole Foods Market sources product. We look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with Pro Mujer and working together to break the cycle of poverty.”

Those interested in purchasing tickets to attend Pro Mujer’s “Giving Women Credit” benefit should call Susan Martin of Thomas Martin Events at (212) 972-2268 or click here.

About Pro Mujer
Pro Mujer is a women’s development and microfinance organization that provides poor women in Latin America with an integrated package of financial services, healthcare, and training to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Pro Mujer delivers these services through communal banks, or peer groups, of 20-30 women who support each other and guarantee each other’s loans. With small loans, healthcare, and training, along with group support, women are empowered to become agents of change in their families and communities.

Established in 1990, Pro Mujer has a presence in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. In the last 20 years, Pro Mujer has disbursed more than US$885 million in small loans, and provided healthcare and training to more than 1 million women and their 5 million children and family members. Pro Mujer is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. For more information, please visit, www.promujer.org

For those in Seattle, Global Partnerships is hosting an their annual Business of Hope Luncheon next week. I’ve attended the annual event the last two years and both were great experiences, but being in Kenya at the moment, unfortunately won’t be making it to this year’s event. Below are further details for the October 12th luncheon:

WHAT: Global Partnerships’ Business of Hope Luncheon: Now in its eighth year, the Business of Hope Luncheon is one of the largest celebrations of microfinance in the world. All proceeds benefit Global Partnerships.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 11:30am – 1:15pm

WHERE: Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom, 1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle

PROGRAM: Featured speakers include Edelma Altamirano, a microfinance borrower from León, Nicaragua, and Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

TO REGISTER: http://www.globalpartnerships.org/boh

The Berkeley Microfinance Simulcast is a live webcasted microfinance class offered at top colleges and universities in the United States.

To start, all that is needed is a local campus contact willing to organize a room on campus, market the class to students to put in the room, and then show up for class and manage the chat room.  You can pursue campus credit for the class if you want, or treat it as a student run effort. This is a grass-roots effort with 50 campuses are all over the map focused at reaching students.

1) email sfoote@alethion.com and Julen Baztarrica julen_baztarrica@mba.berkeley.edu with your contact information and your willingness.  Congratulations!  you are now a Campus Coordinator.
2) find a classroom with an internet connection (hardwired) and projector.
3) participate in a technology test to make sure it’s working (sometime in September)
4) market the class to your campus (consistent with whatever timing works for your campus)
5) Join in on the first day!

“In addition to lectures from me, Sean Foote, you also get speakers.  Prior speakers have included the heads of Grameen, Compartamos, Kiva.org, Microplace, UNITUS, Freedom From Hunger, Prisma Microfinance, Elevar Capital . . . . ”

If you’re in the class, make sure to join the Berkeley Microfinance Group to interact with classmates, participate in discussions, and access course documents.

For more information, visit the MFI Connect site.

Today is the beginning of PeaceWeek, where more than 50 pioneering and inspiring peacebuilders are gathering for the largest-ever virtual peace summit. Join the free global telesummit to learn about groundbreaking work and innovative new ways to foster peace in our local and global communities.

Alex Counts, the President of the Grameen Foundation will be presenting a session about Microfinance:

“Microfinance as a Path to Dignity and to Peace”
Sunday, Sept. 19.  2:30 – 3:30 pm Pacific / 5:30 – 6:30 pm East Coast

Join for just this session, or all of them, either way, it’s a great opportunity to help the world.

More About PeaceWeek:
The dream of a peaceful world has been with us for millennia. Are we the generation that will make that dream a reality? In the years ahead, we have the opportunity to help wean the world of its addiction to violence by harnessing best practices, deepening our personal commitments, healing ancient wounds, building bridges between cultures, advancing the science of peace, and teaching our children to live peacefully. In fact, most of the “technologies” for creating peace at all levels of society are well advanced – we simply need to share them on a wider scale.  The broad trend of human evolution is to move beyond violence. Given the scale of global crises, we must accelerate that evolution and learn to live, collaborate, and create in a more harmonious way.

PeaceWeek will unite pioneers from around the world together for the largest virtual peace summit ever created, culminating with the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21st. It will be a celebration and exploration of everything that is working to foster peace, from the family level to whole nations.  The featured pioneers are building the practices, structures, and systems that can help evolve human society. Individually, they are deeply inspiring. Taken as a whole, they offer a remarkable picture for how to help evolve our world, covering topics such as:

• Personal Peace Practices
• Healing Collective Wounds & Trauma
• The Economics of Peace
• Addressing Global Hotspots
• Social Justice
• Politics of Peace
• Science of Peace
• Media & Peace

Summary of Event: The objective of the conference is to bring together different stakeholders including microfinance practitioners, banks leaders, policy makers and development partners to recommend strategies to boost access to finance for low-Income households in Africa.

When: October 5 to October 9, 2010
Where: Accra, Ghana
Price: $500

Background on Organizers
Africa Microfinance Network (AFMIN):
The Africa Microfinance Network (AFMIN) was established in 2000 and is an association of microfinance networks throughout Africa. It consists of 22 country-level networks of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Sub-Saharan Africa. These networks have 1,118 MFI members who reached over 13 million borrowers and 9.7 million savers, as of December 2007. These MFIs had cumulative loans outstanding of USD 2 billion and net savings of USD 1.2 billion as of the same date.

The mission of AFMIN is to contribute to the development and provision of effective and sustainable financial services to the low-income population of Africa by supporting country-level networks and their member MFIs. AFMIN’s core programs include capacity building, advocacy and policy change, performance monitoring and benchmarking, research, information dissemination and knowledge building, and network management.
Event Themes and Discussion Topics:

• Legal and regulatory environment and policy
• New financial products and other innovations
• Interest rates and sustainability
• Long-term finance
• Agricultural finance
• Financial literacy and consumer protection
• Best practices of MFIs and national and regional microfinance networks

Check out the event website or register here

Source: MicroCapital

The seminar will focus on the current status of microfinance in Europe with discussion of social performance. Presenters will cite empirical evidence from a 2008/9 EMN survey covering 170 microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating in 27 European countries.

When: September 23, 2010
Where: Centre Emile Bernheim
Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
21, Av. F.D. Roosevelt
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Price: Free

European Microfinance Network (EMN):
The European Microfinance Network (EMN) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that was launched in April 2003. EMN aims to bring together microfinance practitioners and people involved in microfinance activities in Europe with the purpose of promoting microfinance, self-employment and microentreprise development based on good practices and to improve the regulatory framework at European Union and member-state levels. EMN currently has 87 members and partners located in 21 European countries. As of 2009 EMN had an annual budget of EUR 660,000 (USD 874,000).

Center for European Research in Microfinance (CERMi):
The Centre for European Research in Microfinance (CERMi) is a Belgian research center founded in 2007 by the Solvay Business School of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and the Faculte Warocque of the Universite Mons-Hainaut. It aims to develop suitable frameworks to critically examine existing microfinance practices and to promote academic research through supporting doctoral research programs, international publications and organizing workshops, seminars and conferences.

More info at the event website

Source: MicroCapital

Opportunity International will host its 2010 Fall Microfinance Conference for people who want to learn more about microfinance and our work to bring financial services to people living in poverty in the developing world. The Microfinance Conference is a great way to introduce friends and family to Opportunity International and microfinance. We invite you to forward our conference invitation and ask others to join you in learning more about our efforts.

When: October 8-9th
Where: Marriott Crystal Gateway
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
Price: $125

This is a wonderful chance to meet Opportunity International leaders and supporters, learn more about our cutting-edge microfinance products and services, and hear the amazing stories of clients who are working their way out of poverty. We hope you come away inspired to be a part of our community that has joined together to help end global poverty. With one voice, we can help provide many more families—and entire communities—with the financial tools they need to transform their lives.

Some of the new speakers who were just added include:

• Sheryl WuDunn, former New York Times journalist, and Pulitzer prize-winning co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
• Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Tamara Cook, Program Officer, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Register today

Watch Opportunity Overview to learn more

For those of you in Seattle, there is a private screening of “To Catch A Dollar.”  For those of you elsewhere around the country, look for the release in theaters or check to see if there are any private screenings in your town.

Thirty years ago, Mohammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi Banker, U.S. educated Professor, economist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient responded to the plight of the severely poor. He loaned only $27 to forty-two people, taking them out of a predatory life-long loan shark cycle and provided them the opportunity to work themselves out of
poverty. These were people too poor to ever qualify for traditional banking means.  And thus was sparked his development of the all new field of Microcredit and Microfinance.
Today, this Nobel-Prize winning strategy to end poverty has resulted in over a billion dollars being loaned by Grameen Bank and has helped millions of women in developing countries.  See how Grameen America is taking the same system to the streets of New York City.

When: Thursday, August 26th, 2010
6:00 pm – Reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres
7:00 pm – Private Screening & Special Guest Speaker
Where: Two Union Square
601 Union Street, 51st Floor
Downtown Seattle
Price: Ticket Levels: $100 | $50 | $25

Please RSVP to Fortunato Vega
(206) 336-1611
fortunato911@gmail.com

Watch the trailer: