Harnessing Student Potential In Microfinance

April 2010 Blog Posts (25)

More Photos from Kenya - Summit

Here are some photos from MFI Connect's private sessions with Ingrid Munro, Muhammad Yunus, Fazle Abed, Sam Daley Harris, and Susan Davis, as well as some others from the conference:…

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Added by Sam Mitchell on April 26, 2010 at 11:56pm — 1 Comment

Another Interview by MFI Connecter Casey Conzett: CARE in Africa

Check it out! http://www.microfinancefocus.com/news/2010/04/20/exclusive-interview-with-lauren-hendricks-executive-director-of-care%e2%80%99s-access-africa/

Great work, Casey!

Added by Alex Simon on April 23, 2010 at 9:04am — 1 Comment

Vittana- Sending Students to College Through Microlending

I am a new member to MFI Connect but am very grateful for such an amazing forum based around microfinance- thank you to all who created and maintain it!

I have just started volunteering for Vittana, a new start-up nonprofit based out of Seattle, and thought that this may be a good place to connect with other like-minded people who may be interested in what we are doing.

Using a model… Continue

Added by Megan Fleming on April 22, 2010 at 3:00pm — 2 Comments

MFI Connecter Maddie Brandenburger

Maddie Brandenburger, an MFI Connect-member who traveled with the student delegation to Nairobi for the Microcredit Summit, wrote a great blog post for the Grameen Foundation, where she previously interned. Here are some segments and a link to the article is HERE.

"My week in Nairobi proved to be an invaluable exercise in harnessing the combined power of… Continue

Added by Alex Simon on April 21, 2010 at 8:16pm — 1 Comment

3rd day!

The 3rd day has been very successful, as i was walking to class today at about 11am there was a band playing and all sorts of little events going on at front range. I was thinking of just going to the grocery store after class again, but i saw that they were giving free food out for earth day! i got a pork sandwhich, chips, and beans. This was amazing that i came across this leaving my class. This food was really good and filled my stomach, but i knew it wouldnt hold me off all day so i went to… Continue

Added by Zane Gregory Knoer on April 21, 2010 at 7:12pm — No Comments

MFI CONNECT member interviews CARE. Pres. And CEO for Microfinance Focus

Casey Conzett (Autonomous University of Madrid), one of the students who traveled to the Africa - Middle East Microcredit Summit as a member of e MFI CONNECT student delegation, had the opportunity to interview CARE President and CEO Helene Gayle.

Read the interview here:… Continue

Added by Alex Simon on April 20, 2010 at 8:07am — No Comments

Video: The Best Stats You'll Ever See

I wanted to share a video that Chris Horst of Hope International shared with me. It's not directly about microfinance but it gives a really interesting perspective on how the world is developing and changing in our lifetime and gives a better understanding of the developing world.

It's also pretty funny!…

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Added by Chris Becker on April 18, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Interactive Microfinance Presentation

http://prezi.com/ilayzb5hrarz/

A presentation on the basic economic theory of microfinance including a profile of the ASA MFI in Bangladesh.

Added by Thomas L Tutor on April 15, 2010 at 7:30pm — No Comments

Nairobi 2010 Photo Blog Part 2

Here are some photos from the market in Kibera, as well as a visit to Mathare.…

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Added by Sam Mitchell on April 14, 2010 at 6:30pm — 4 Comments

Reflections on the Two Dollar Challenge: Why seeing the light at the end of the tunnel makes all the difference

There were many special moments for me during the five days I attempted to simulate the conditions of poverty in which nearly half the world lives constantly. Whether it was the guy behind me in line offering his grocery card so I could save 50 cents on 8 bananas or just moments later when I gave one of those bananas to a man on the street with a cardboard sign, "please help, god bless", the week was full of surprises, realizations, and thought.

Now, on the other side, when…

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Added by Thomas L Tutor on April 12, 2010 at 10:05pm — No Comments

TDC: Top 10 Things I Learned

10. I can live on two dollars a day

9. You can buy a lot of rice for not very much (less than $1 per pound) but you also need a large pot to cook it all in.

8. Even when it is hot during the day and evening it usually gets cold during the wee hours of the morning.

7. Garlic is very cheap and packs a potent punch of flavor but can get old (especially for those around you).

6. A decrease in…

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Added by Thomas L Tutor on April 12, 2010 at 7:38pm — 1 Comment

Two Dollar Challenge: Day 5

Its the final day of the two dollar challenge and I cant wait until four o'clock when I can shower, brush my teeth with toothpaste and make whatever food I want. As I took the soaking wet cardboard to the dumpster it was a little sad taking apart what we valued so heavily. That was our home for almost five days and four nights and here we were taking it down, piece by make-shift piece. I dont think Ive been so sad about throwing away cardboard since I was four and my mom made me get rid of my… Continue

Added by Caitlin Payne on April 11, 2010 at 7:03pm — 3 Comments

Spring 2010: Two Dollar Challenge Blog for FRCC Students in Jaren Seid's Principles of Micro and Macro Economics.

Welcome to the blog for $2 Challenge Week at FRCC. Here is where you will post your comments - remember, you will need to make at least one posting and one comment on another student's posting for each day of challenge week.

Added by Jaren Seid on April 10, 2010 at 2:00pm — 79 Comments

DAY 3 - I AM TIRED AND HUNGRY

Wow, deprivation of my usually unhealthy intake of diet pepsi is making me very sleepy. And I think the lack of food is for some reason making me sweat more... I sat outside for an hour doing homework and I had sweat running down my knees. Also I've got strange bruises on the back of my legs... None of these reactions were expected on my part.

What I did anticipate were the muscle cramps. I love long distance running, (I've taken the week off to conserve energy) but simply walking… Continue

Added by Maureen Hennessy on April 9, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Americans are arrogant. We assume that people want to live the way we live, we assume that they want our help.

What if they don't? What if the burden of our presence does more harm then good?

Should we stop? Is it right to stop trying to help when many children die before the age of 5?

I think the main argument of the article we read tonight is that Americans try to give in order to assuage our guilt. We have set up a system that we profit from, our two weeks here… Continue

Added by Maureen Hennessy on April 9, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

I think the suckiest thing about this...is not being able to shower.

I am covered in fetal pig guts and juice. This is gross. I want to shower.

It sucks to be self conscience about the way I smell, and I'm just walking around campus. I can't imagine being unsure of something like hygiene or appearance during a job interview or a loan request. I think that this self-consciousness could deter someone from performing those tasks.

Peanut butter and bread...not a big deal. This is what I survived on for years of summer camp. Easy, peasy lemon… Continue

Added by Maureen Hennessy on April 9, 2010 at 12:00pm — 4 Comments

Two Dollar Challenge: Day 4

We just finished our discussion about our experiences in going through this challenge and our motivations and intentions for doing it in the first place, and honestly I walked away feeling worse about myself. Everyone there had such strong emotions about the whole process, how it unraveled and what they felt, and when I heard these things I felt extremely selfish. I wish my hope in humanity had been restored through this process, but I cannot say that it was. Going into this challenge it was… Continue

Added by Caitlin Payne on April 8, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

two dollar challenge

I am starting to better understand the reality that hunger/homelessness is a poverty trap. It has been nearly impossible for me to get any sleep the past few days. Every time I try to curl up on my bench layered with cardboard for cushioning i feel like i am on display for the entire school. Students walk by constantly, and numerous times I have opened my eyes to people hovering close by to see what is going on. I feel more like an exhibit at the zoo rather than a human being. So I lay there… Continue

Added by Caitlin Hochul on April 8, 2010 at 9:18pm — No Comments

Two Dollar Challenge: Day 3

I love the new community that has formed out of the individuals participating in the challenge, and I love that they are all so responsive and kind, but I feel excluded from my friends. I ran into one of my really good friends here on the third day of the challenge, a girl that I have always been pretty close to, and she was talking to me about her week. She was talking about things that I would normally have a taken an interest in, like what she had done last night or what she was doing in the… Continue

Added by Caitlin Payne on April 8, 2010 at 8:41pm — 4 Comments

Two Dollar Challenge- Day 3

I'm actually in a surprisingly good mood this morning. Woke up around 8 this morning, but I could easily have slept longer-- it was more of a choice to wake up then. And washing my hair, even in a sink with cold water and hand soap, felt wonderful (my hair is no longer disgustingly greasy, even if it's not particularly clean), as did putting on my second outfit. When I walked out of the bathroom, people commented on how refreshed I looked, which probably says more for how bad I looked last… Continue

Added by Laura Dick on April 7, 2010 at 11:55am — 5 Comments