Here’s a short video where Alex Counts from Grameen and Yeardley Smith (actress known for the voice of Lisa Simpson) visit Fonkoze in Haiti:

The Grameen Foundation recently announced that it is expanding its technology for microfinance initiative, Mifos Platform, and Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI) from $1.23 million of funding from the Mastercard Foundation and $500,000 from Cisco.  The donation from the Mastercard foundation will help form the Mifos Consortium which will help develop a benchmark  for successful technology that is part of Grameen’s 10 year plan of reaching 100 million new people in unserved regions. Cisco’s grant of nearly $500k will enable Grameen Foundation to integrate cost-effective avenues into Mifos, and bridge the gap between microfinance supply and demand which will help drive transformative increases in scale, innovation, sustainability, and social impact of MFIs around the world.
Read the full press release at Grameen

This month, the Grameen Foundation launched the Ingenuity Fund Challenge.  The Ingenuity Fund is a new program that inspires individuals to start their own fundraising efforts to help and inspire others to become a part of microfinance.  There are millions of people around the world who have ideas, with the Ingenuity Fund, Grameen is trying to tap into that resource.
From November 2009 through February 2010, Challenge participants will develop compelling, creative personal fundraising pages on Grameen Foundation’s website, and raise awareness of and funds for Grameen Foundation’s work through personal networks, social media and other offline activities.  By joining this campaign, not only are participants helping spread the awareness of microfinance, but the participant who has the most ingenious web page and outreach effort will travel abroad with the Grameen Foundation to visit one of their on-the-ground microfinance or technology programs. They’ll document the experience through blogging, photos and videos featured on the Grameen web site, giving a new voice to the global community that believes poverty is unnecessary.

Take the first step by creating a fundraising page!

Click here for the official rules

Evan Carmichael, a journalist, entrepreneur, and consultant runs a blog that ranks number one for resources and information amongst small business owners and entrepreneurs. He has been interviewed by the NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, the National Post, etc, and has business owner showcases that include Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie to present entrepreneurs like Calvin Klein, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Dell.  Recently Evan has put together a list of the top 50 Social Entrepreneur blogs that are making a huge impact in the world.  The Grameen Foundation, which combines the power of microfinance, technology and innovative solutions to defeat global poverty, has it’s own blog, Creating A World Without Poverty, which was chosen as one of Evan’s top 50.  Check out the other 49 blogs that made the list.

With the Simpsons having almost as many years as I’ve had in my life, the show has been there by my side growing up.  So when I saw the Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, was with Alex Counts from the Grameen Foundation working with MFIs in Haiti, I was immediatley a big fan.  They do a great job of documenting the journey on the Grameen Foundation Blog: Creating A World Without Poverty.