Microfinance - or creating financial products such as savings plans, small loans, or insurance to as a pathway out of poverty - has long been both celebrated and controversial. When managed correctly, a monetary boost may bring unprecedented opportunity to a poor family, providing them with the missing capital necessary to start a small business, send a child to school, or acquire necessary medication to cure an ailment can make all the difference in sustainably breaking the cycle of poverty. When corrupted or provided without comprehensive support, microcredit may serve only to plunge a poor family further into debt. This collection explores numerous approaches to microfinance and how different groups and organizations are leveraging the model to help communities escape poverty.
- What are the key differences between a micro-loan and a cash donation, and what are some of the pros and cons of each?
- Identify some of the challenges in measuring the impact of microfinance as a method of eradicating poverty. What various elements can be considered as "success factors" and why may some better indicate true, sustainable change than others?
- What are steps that various entities and organizations are taking to realign the original goals of microfinance as a tool for assisting the poor? In what ways have they improved or reoriented their approach to be more effective and how are they measuring impact? How is technology playing a role?