Revisiting Microfinance
Marking an important anniversary date on microfinance policy
Today we revisit our appearance on Worldview exploring the policies and ongoing scrutiny put on the effectiveness of microfinance programs in places like India and Bangladesh.
Informed by our project work in Bangladesh, where we set out to improve the way that microcredit was implemented from the perspective of borrowers, Executive Director Travis Rejman was interviewed to discuss the current practices in place by large banks and how they could improve their lending methods by taking into account what we learned in our research and project developments.
If you didn't get a chance to hear the interview when it originally ran, it is archived and available for stream here. Joining Travis on the show, was our partner from Grantmakers Without Borders Susan Beaudry. We collaborated with Susan to help donors sort through the facts and spin associated with microcredit lending practices in the downloadable guide: Microfinance: A Guide for Grantmakers.
Partner and Peace Advocate in US
NPR's WorldView focuses on Fr. Leonel Narvaez
We are excited to announce that our friend and colleague, Fr. Leonel will be making a live appearance on NPR's WorldView news program on Monday, April 13 at 12 p.m. central time. Fr. Leonel will speak about his work promoting forgiveness and reconciliation in his home country of Colombia, share insights about the ongoing formal peace negotiations between the FARC and the government of Colombia and the expansion of child soldier reintegration model to the Goldin Institute's partners in Uganda.
Those familiar with our work with Fr. Leonel know that he is highly regarded for his peace-building efforts around the globe through his work in Colombia with the Foundation for Reconciliation. He has dedicated his life to building peace in the understanding that "violence is the failure of dialogue." Amongst his many accolades, Leonel has been awarded the Great Cross of Civil Merit by the City of Bogota for his contribution to peace in the city. In Paris in 2007, he received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. In 2008, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia honored him with the Order of Democracy.
International awards aside, we know personally and professionally how Fr. Leonel has worked tirelessly through his efforts at the Foundation to inspire and train over 25,000 facilitators reaching countless beneficiaries around the world in new methods of peace and reconciliation. Fr. Leonel's powerful presentations and sermons have changed the face of reconciliation efforts across the globe and the ESPERE methodology has expanded from its modest beginnings in Colombia to 15 other countries, such as Uganda, where we work closely seeing the growth of this project.
Please join us by tuning in to Fr. Leonel's live interview on April 13 at 12:20 p.m. on National Public Radio. This link will be active for live listening from your computer or mobile during the stream of the show.
NPR Worldview Interview on Colombia Peace Process with Fr. Leonel Narvaez
If you missed the opportunity to hear our friend and colleague Fr. Leonel Narvaez on the WorldView news program April 14, you can stream it now:
In this interview, Fr. Leonel speaks about the ongoing negotiations in Cuba that give promise to a proposed peace agreement for his country. He also puts into context the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation and how they have been practiced through his leadership at the Foundation for Reconciliation in Colombia and around the world.
About Fr. Leonel and his work in Latin America
Those familiar with our work with Fr. Leonel know that he has dedicated his life to building peace in the understanding that "violence is the failure of dialogue." Amongst his many accolades, Leonel has been awarded the Great Cross of Civil Merit by the City of Bogota for his contribution to peace in the city. In Paris in 2007, he received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. In 2008, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia honored him with the Order of Democracy.
International awards aside, we know personally and professionally how Fr. Leonel has worked tirelessly through his efforts at the Foundation to inspire and train over 25,000 facilitators reaching countless beneficiaries around the world in new methods of peace and reconciliation. Fr. Leonel's powerful presentations and sermons have changed the face of reconciliation efforts across the globe and the ESPERE methodology has expanded from its modest beginnings in Colombia to 15 other countries, such as Uganda, where we work closely seeing the growth of this project.
Goldin Institute's Travis Rejman Interviewed on Worldview
Interested in learning more about the promise and peril of microcredit?
The current debate about the efficacy of microfinance is marked by the absence of those who have most at stake in the controversy: loan recipients. The Goldin Institute is working to lift up these voices—most often marginalized women—and restore their perspectives, insights and aspirations to the discussion.
Based on the Goldin Institute's work in Bangladesh to listen to loan recipients and lift up their voices as the basis for improving microcredit, Executive Director Travis Rejman speaks with Jerome McDonald on NPR's Worldview Program to provide perspective and analysis on the microcredit movement. We were thrilled to be joined for the interview with our colleague Susan Beaudry from Grantmakers Without Borders who edited the Funders Guide to Microcredit.
The conversation can be listened to in it's entirety by direct stream or downloadable podcast by clicking here.