Here’s an interesting video from Real Clear World with Susan Davis, the President and CEO of BRAC, in which she explains how microfinance grew out of “a movement for social justice and women’s empowerment and equality” into a “tool for income generation and productive loans.”

Tilman Ehrbeck, the CEO of CGAP, discusses the role of public money in the microfinance sector:

Last week, Vittana along with it’s lenders funded it’s 1,000th student through microfinance loans! Additionally, they are launching their campaign “What does education mean to you?” which recently aired on Hulu. If you haven’t yet seen the PSA, here it is for you:

What Does Education Mean to You? from Vittana on Vimeo.

Trickle Up is an organization that empowers people living on less than $1.25 a day to take the first steps out of poverty, providing them with resources to build microenterprises for a better quality of life.  In partnership with local agencies, Trickle Up provides business training seed capital grants to launch or expand a microenterprise and savings support to build assets throughout Asia, Africa and Central America.

“Yesterday, Trickle Up launched it’s Mother’s Day Seed A Dream Campaign.  The campaign gives people a way to help a mother in a developing country lift herself from extreme poverty and at the same time honor the mothers in their lives this Mother’s Day.  Trickle Up is partnering with journalist Campbell Brown on the campaign to draw attention to the plight of poor mothers and the extent and severity of extreme poverty worldwide.

Through the campaign, donors can make gifts to Trickle Up in honor of the mothers in their lives that will in turn help a poor mother launch or expand a small business. Mothers who are honored through a donation will receive a Mother’s Day card that explains the impact of the gift, and donors of more than $100 can choose to receive a limited edition, Trickle Up necklace while supplies last. Trickle Up friends will match the donation dollar for dollar to increase the reach and impact of the contributions.” Read More

To learn more, watch the video from Campbell Brown:

For those looking for a challenge in microfinance:

Here’s a cool video from October 2010 where Matt Damon discusses microfinance with David Letterman.  They talk about Water.org and how microfinance can alleviate poverty:

This isn’t directly related to microfinance, but relevant to all non profits trying to raise money. It’s an interview with Allison Fine, the author and the host of the Chronicle podcast Social Good, last week on the PBS NewsHour. I totally agree with Allison regarding the importance of establishing long term relationships with donors online. Organizations like Lumana, Wokai, and Vittana realize the importance of this, it’s just difficult to tackle with so few resources. Unfortunately, paid staff aren’t scaleable, and most online donors want to have a relationship with someone at an organization that will be around for awhile, not an intern or volunteer who is just helping out for a couple months. And THAT, in my mind, is the challenge that non profits have to solve in the online fundraising space.

[via GlobalGiving]

Mifos.org is a diverse community of microfinance institutions, technology professionals, business people, volunteers, and contributors, guided by the vision to create and deploy technology that allows the microfinance industry to scale.  Recently they announced that on Tuesday December 21st, they will relese Mifos 2.0, a new version of their Management Information Software. Their initiative—the Mifos technology platform and related services—aims to provide the entire MFI industry with the technology it needs to scale. In collaboration with CGAP, the Ford Foundation and Microfinance Risk Management, Mifos 2.0 will enable MFIs to track and analye the poverty levels of their clients.  Additionally, Mifos 2.0 also offers the power of cloud computing, a centralized hosted solution through Amazon Web Services that allows microfinance organizations to streamline their business operations and scale up with the Mifos Cloud.

Here’s a video that gives more info:

Source

Here’s a great post by Ryan Calkins over at SeaMO about an interview with Premal Shah, the president of Kiva, and what his expectations are for the next 5 years:

Trickle Up, an international poverty alleviation organization that empowers people living on less than $1.25 a day to take the first steps out of poverty, has released a documentary that profiles the impact of its work and the people it affects.

“The Test of Poverty” follows two women living in extreme poverty in West Bengal, India, as they participate in Trickle Up’s program and work to change the effects that generations of poverty have had on their families’ lives. The film shows that addressing the needs of the ultra poor – those living on less than $1.25 day – involves more than just providing them with capital, and must be viewed through a wider lens. The film also captures the powerful effects that increased self-confidence and empowerment that come from participating in Trickle Up’s program have in helping women break the vicious cycle of extreme poverty.

As the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty approaches on October 17th, “The Test of Poverty” underscores the theme designated by the United Nations: “From Poverty to Decent Work: bridging the gap.” According to the UN, this day of observance comes at a time when people living in poverty are even more uncertain about employment stability, working conditions, training opportunities and the availability of social protection.

“The Test of Poverty” was directed by Gautam Bose and produced with support from the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), which is spearheading a global effort to understand how safety nets, livelihoods, and microfinance can be sequenced to create pathways for the poorest to graduate out of extreme poverty.

Trickle Up takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of the ultra poor. The organization provides seed capital, training and savings support to kick-start microenterprises and create a savings habit that endures. The grants buy things like tools, seeds and fertilizer, and goats—assets that help build income and stability. The savings groups work like community banks; the members save money, make loans to each other, and pay interest that grows the group fund. In 2009 alone, Trickle Up served over 10,000 new participants. Each new or expanded enterprise impacts five lives, which means over 55,000 lives have been touched.

“The Test of Poverty” shows how Trickle Up helps the ultra poor holistically and with lasting results. Filmmaker Gautam Bose, who has been making films for over 25 years, directed “The Test of Poverty.” Based in Kolkata, India, Bose uses film to help people from diverse backgrounds communicate effectively with one another.

In addition to being launched on Trickle Up’s newly redesigned interactive website, “The Test of Poverty” will be distributed widely via online channels such as YouTube and other social and media sharing sites. Trickle Up will also submit the film to 2011 film festivals to more widely raise awareness of the needs of the ultra poor.

Here is the video:

About Trickle Up
Trickle Up empowers people living on less than $1.25 a day to take the first steps out of poverty, providing them with resources to build microenterprises for a better quality of life. In partnership with local agencies, Trickle Up provides business training and seed capital grants to launch or expand a microenterprise and savings support to build assets. Trickle Up works in five countries throughout Asia, West Africa and Central America.