Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - Foundation

Lemon Way to launch European payment service

Gerard — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:44:00 GMT

Now everyone, most especially private individuals without access to banking services, can open an account and have a simple and safe method of payment…

Lemon Way solutions already enable millions of users to do their shopping (food, taxis etc) and transfer money to their friends and families…

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Mobile Payment Solution is offered through cloud-based gateway

Gerard — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:10:22 GMT

At Mobile World Congress 2012, Amdocs, a leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced the launch of Amdocs Mobile Payments. The new solution is a cloud-based gateway, enabling mobile operators to quickly, securely and cost-effectively scale their mobile payments business for both prepaid and postpaid customers to open new revenue streams. Mobile payments that are charged via the carrier offer consumers the convenience of charging purchases directly to their mobile phone bill, prepaid balance or mobile wallet.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Scientists Say Africa Sits on Huge Reservoir of Water

Gerard — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:48:09 GMT

Scientists say a new study shows that Africa sits on a vast reservoir of groundwater that could provide a reliable source of water for drinking and agriculture.

Scientists say an estimated 300 million people in Africa do not have access to safe drinking water and with climate change making rainfall less predictable, their plight is even more precarious.

So research into a vast reservoir of groundwater beneath the continent is meaningful.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Rwanda: Rwf400 Million Fund to Boost Innovation

Gerard — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 21:26:40 GMT

Government has set aside a basket fund of about Rwf400 million to cater for scientific innovations, especially in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Agriculture and Manufacturing. The fund, known as Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund (RIEF), was initiated by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) sub regional office under the One UN Rwanda. It will support projects that promote innovations in science, technology and research which could transform the social and economic development of the country.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Bicycle Relief Reaches Milestone Of 100,000 Bicycles Distributed

Gerard — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:41:32 GMT

World Bicycle Relief, a not for profit organization created by bike industry leader SRAM Corporation to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka recently distributed its 100,000th bicycle to people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

New generation of social entrepreneurs put skills to transforming Asia

Gerard — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:28:23 GMT

Social enterpreneurship grows in area where neither innovation nor social and environmental problems are in short supply

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Food Day Is Not a Time for Celebration, But a Time For Action

Gerard — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:50:59 GMT

Famine is not simply caused by a lack of food in the global supply. We must -- and can -- do better.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opinions: How can higher education institutions become more sustainable

Gerard — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:10:39 GMT

From changes to the curriculum to getting Transitional University status or by making the financial case for energy savings, we share the best bits from some experts' sustainability live chat

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Facing droughts, Pacific islands need urgent risk mitigation steps, UN warns

Gerard — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:28:18 GMT

Amid growing concerns about drought crises in some small island States of the Pacific, the United Nations today called for comprehensive risk reduction steps to be put in place to protect vulnerable populations living in delicate ecosystems.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

SHE: Scharpf's simple way to empower women

Gerard — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:16:17 GMT

While interning in Africa in 2005, Elizabeth Scharpf was appalled to find that women were missing work and school because they couldn’t afford pads to wear during their periods. “I felt like it was an obstacle for women and girls — to their freedom” and one that shouldn’t exist, she said.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Book: Reinventing economics

Gerard — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:04:49 GMT

Economic analysis is about understanding the workings of the economic system. Many elegant economic theories exist to analyse wealth-creating productive activities. Conventional economic theory focuses on a one-dimensional world.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Microfinance: What role in Africa's development?

Gerard — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:43:30 GMT

The honeymoon with microfinance is over. Since the idea of lending or giving very small sums of money to poor people was introduced to the world by the pioneering Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the approach has been taken up by many non-governmental organizations, donor agencies and the United Nations as an essential part of their poverty-reduction efforts. Microfinance has provided countless people with access to financial services.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Dr. Sabine O'Hara Recognized by Cambridge Who's Who

Gerard — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:43:16 GMT

Dr. Sabine O'Hara, Owner and Principal of Global Ecology LLC, has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in international business education and sustainable development.

Dr. O'Hara is principal of Global Ecology LLC, and managing director and vice president of Professors Beyond Borders. Global Ecology positions higher education institutions and private, public and non-profit sector organizations for success by providing educational tools and planning and assessment services for negotiating a complex world and marketplace.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Color Looks To Reinvent Social Interaction

Gerard — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:12:26 GMT

A revolutionary new communication app has been launched for the iPhone and Android platforms, which automatically shares photos, videos and text with anyone in the vicinity who also has the application. The app, called Color, has been created by Bill Nguyen, who sold his cloud based music locker Lala.com to Apple for $80 million. The app works by using a mix of GPS location data and ambient sensors to assess proximity of other users, who will be able to see any text, videos or photos taken via Color. The application comes with absolutely no privacy settings, so all the photos shared are publicly available to every member within the range. There is also no need to 'friend' anyone, though a blocking option is available.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The Sun: Gorillas get iPads

Gerard — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:54:00 GMT

The Sun is reporting that animal behavior experts have kindly handed out iPads to Gorillas. Amazingly not a SINGLE one of the five tablets which download apps has been broken since being given out at Port Lympne wild animal park three weeks ago.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The World's Most Ethical Companies

Gerard — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:14:22 GMT

The Ethisphere Institute, a New York City think tank, has just announced its fifth annual list of the World's Most Ethical Companies. The selection, open to every company in every industry around the globe, gives its winners an opportunity to trumpet their do-gooding ways. It is not a ranking, so they are all equally winners.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

VeriFone On Apple, Google And PayPal’s NFC Competitiveness

Gerard — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:20:44 GMT

Electronic payment provider VeriFone has a front seat for what it calls the “gold rush for NFC” – the race to deliver products and services related to Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Why Women Rule The Internet

Gerard — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 06:18:24 GMT

Do you have women in key positions? If you’re planning on targeting female customers, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to have great women on your team. Women are the routers and amplifiers of the social web. And they are the rocket fuel of ecommerce. The ongoing debate about women in tech has been missing a key insight. If you figure out how to harness the power of female customers, you can rock the world.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Microfinance Is Much More Than Just Credit

Gerard — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:46:08 GMT

A day after U.S. assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs Robert Blake appealed to the Bangladeshi government to reconsider its dismissal of 70-year-old microfinance guru Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen Bank, IPS spoke with the president and CEO of Women's World Banking (WWB), currently the most comprehensive network of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the world. She dismissed the notion, which is swiftly gaining momentum in many quarters, that microcredit is ineffective as a sustainable method of poverty alleviation and must be replaced.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Archives: in Microfinance Replicating Best Practices Is not Enough

Gerard — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:17:27 GMT

The wisdom in development finance has long been that lending to and saving by poor micro-entrepreneurs and farmers is doomed to failure: costs are too high, the poor are not creditworthy and they are not able to save and insure, and so on. Bold experimentation with new institutions in microfinance, supported by public action, have resulted in a number of success stories and changed this pessimistic assessment during the past fifteen years or so. In this paper, a number of arguments are put forward that call for a continuation of the support towards institutional innovation and bottom-up adaptation of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in developing countries. Published in 2001 by Manfred Zeller

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Pakistan: SBP to launch £10m Financial Innovation Challenge Fund

Gerard — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:27:25 GMT

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will soon launch the £10 million Financial Innovation Challenge Fund as stated by the Deputy Governor of SBP, Yaseen Anwar on Saturday.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Nigeria: MFBs Plan Trust Fund to Sustain Liquidity

Gerard — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:32:29 GMT

Operators of Microfinance Banks (MFBs) in Lagos state have concluded arrangement to establish a trust fund aimed at protecting them from liquidity shocks as well as to also help manage their liquidity position. The Chairman, National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Olufemi Babajide, disclosed this.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Tanzania: UN extends $90 mn loan for access to rural finances

Gerard — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:12:56 GMT

The United Nations recently announced a $90 million loan for strengthening access to rural financial services and markets, and promoting private sector development in Tanzania. More than 500,000 vulnerable rural households, including smallholder farmers, livestock keepers, fishers, small-scale rural entrepreneurs, traders and artisans, grass-roots microfinance institutions, processing and marketing groups, poor rural women and rural youth are expected to get benefit from this programme.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The Role Of Microfinance In Women's Entrepreneurship

Gerard — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:30:48 GMT

7 Women Leaders Speak On The Role Of Microfinance In Women's Entrepreneurship

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

MIX Brings Social Performance to the Forefront of Microfinance

Gerard — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:30:12 GMT

Recent microfinance crises and debate over the practices of microfinance institutions (MFIs) have made it more apparent than ever that financial performance should not be the only standard by which MFIs should be evaluated. To measure an MFI's overall performance, social performance management -- the process of ensuring that an MFI acts in a socially responsible manner -- has emerged as a critical factor. Thanks to the support of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Ford Foundation, the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), the industry's leading source for financial and social performance data, now offers funders and other stakeholders easy access to social performance information in conjunction with financial performance information. As part of its ongoing mission to enhance transparency in the microfinance industry, MIX has taken major steps both to integrate social performance reporting with standard financial reporting and to enhance data access.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Zafen: Redefining "Interest" in the Changing World of Microfinance

Gerard — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 07:47:06 GMT

Microfinance has taken a beating lately for shifting far afield from its humanitarian origins, originally funding tiny businesses run by poor women in developing countries to feed their families. It's become a good idea gone bad, a charitable enterprise spoiled as profit surpassed people as the rationale for investment. It sickens the soul. But all is not lost. A new concept in which the interest charged on a microloan isn't a percentage, but rather an improvement to a community, has seen early success in Haiti. Although small in scale, this model might be just the thing to help microfinance rebound as an effective, credible and responsible method of funding small businesses lacking capital that don't qualify for loans from traditional banks. The concept comes from Zafèn, an online microfinance initiative approaching its first anniversary on April 1.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Davos: Warning of ‘global suicide,’ Ban Ki-Moon calls for Revolution to Ensure Sustainable Development

Gerard — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:37:54 GMT

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for “revolutionary action” to achieve sustainable development, warning that the past century’s heedless consumption of resources is “a global suicide pact” with time running out to ensure an economic model for survival.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

CARE launches online micro-finance site to support entrepreneurs in developing world

Gerard — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:18:49 GMT

Leading aid agency CARE International UK has launched www.lendwithcare.org - an innovative micro-finance website aimed at transforming the way people give. Lendwithcare.org enables people in the UK to invest in entrepreneurs in the developing world. Investors can lend from just £15 directly to a chosen individual to help them start or improve a small business.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Donations: NetSuite.org Enables Social Enterprises To Do Good, Better

Gerard — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:06:34 GMT

NetSuite Inc., the industry’s leading vendor of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced the latest social enterprises to benefit from a NetSuite.org product donation. NetSuite.org is NetSuite’s unique corporate citizenship program, which enables growing social enterprises to access product donations of NetSuite’s cloud-based business software service that helps deliver increased productivity, reduced operating costs, and improved organizational flexibility.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

CERMI: Centre for European Research in Microfinance

Gerard — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:55:15 GMT

CERMi’s mission is to promote academic research in order to support the key stakeholders in the microfinance industry: NGOs, cooperatives, donors, investment funds and financial institutions, and to develop suitable frameworks to critically examine existing microfinance practices.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Council of Credit Unions

Gerard — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:52:55 GMT

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the leading international trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. WOCCU advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Concern: Reaching 153,000 AIDS orphans

Gerard — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:59:45 GMT

While it's sometimes hard to quantify success, one thing is certain – the ripple effect and long-term effects of good development work impact more people for generations to come than any of us will know.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Al Gore urges China, US to build greener cities

Gerard — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:49:56 GMT

Former US vice-president Al Gore took part in the 2011 Global Urban Development Forum in Beijing. Gore said Thursday China and the United States -- the world's biggest polluters -- should work on designing greener cities as part of their efforts to tackle climate change.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Sri Lanka: Harassment of women will be eradicated - Minister Tissa Karalliyadde

Gerard — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:17:34 GMT

"Harassment of women and domestic violence goes back to centuries. It continues to be in force today in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka. It must be eliminated at all costs" said Child Development and Women Affairs Minister Tissa Karalliyadde addressing the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) held in Port Macquarie, Australia on the theme 'Prevention of violence against women'.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Good News Bank Story? Global Sustainable Banking Network Expands

Gerard — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:11:31 GMT

The Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of the world's leading sustainable banks, announces four new members today from South America, North America, and Europe. The banks join nine founding banks committed to building a better financial future in challenging times.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Global launch of GEO Legacy Guidance for sustainable golf development

Gerard — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:40:57 GMT

The Golf Environment Organization's GEO Legacy Guidance launched to widespread acclaim following previews at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Bangkok and the European Golf Course Owners Association Conference in London.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Technology: IBM predicts five big tech innovations coming by 2015

Gerard — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:21:00 GMT

IBM unveils its fifth annual "Next Five in Five" -- a list of innovations with the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. The Next Five in Five is based on market and societal trends expected to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from IBM's Labs around the world that can make these innovations possible.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Ireland: Number of children living in poverty up

Gerard — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:01:10 GMT

The numbers of children experiencing consistent poverty increased last year for the first time since 2006, according to the State of the Nation’s Children report

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Nearly half of elderly in U.S. will face poverty

Gerard — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:56:19 GMT

64.6% of black Americans and 32.7% whites will face poverty, study says

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

ADB’s $250 million risk programme to help expand microfinance to poor

Gerard — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:32:06 GMT

The Board of directors of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) has approved a Microfinance Risk Participation Programme, marking ADB’s first large scale private sector microfinance initiative.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Muhammad Yunus: Microfinance Guru under Pressure

Gerard — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:29:39 GMT

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is under pressure after critics accused him of misusing development aid. The father of microfinance told SPIEGEL ONLINE the allegations are "a total fabrication."

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

G20, Basel III and Its Implications for the World Banking System

Gerard — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:57:58 GMT

The Group of 20 Summit scheduled for November in Seoul will provide a forum for a wide range of economic and fiscal issues, ranging from World Bank governance to fossil fuel subsidies.

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World Bank chief to launch carbon market fund

Gerard — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:55:04 GMT

World Bank President Robert Zoellick is set to launch a new multi-million dollar fund in Mexico on Wednesday to help emerging market countries set up their own carbon markets, the bank said on Tuesday.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes launches Jumo, social network for social activism

Gerard — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:09:05 GMT

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Cyprus : Females in the Arts announce Nicosia Regional Branch

Gerard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:47:28 GMT

Since the launch of FITA in January 2010, the Group has rapidly expanded with new Members teaming-up together to generate awareness in Cyprus of female artists, artisans and designers.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

University of North Carolina: Simulcast lectures broaden microfinance horizon

Gerard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:35:39 GMT

Using Skype as a medium, a lecture at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business was broadcast to UNC students along with students at other schools. The streamed lecture was part of an ongoing series that allows students to have access to the most prominent minds in microfinance.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opportunity International Encourages Citizen Diplomacy and Economic Empowerment

Gerard — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:17:24 GMT

Claudia Kennedy, Member of Opportunity's Board of Advisors and First Woman U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Encourages Individuals to Recognize Their Power to Improve People's Lives Around the World.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

For the unbanked, is mobile money cheap enough?

Gerard — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:53:33 GMT

Claudia McKay and Mark Pickens from CGAP have pulled together a comprehensive global pricing study on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and underbanked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil. The study examines pricing for services targeting unbanked and underbanked poor people in 10 countries. The conclusion: mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two may not be as wide as some may think.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Europe: Google, Facebook to face tougher EU privacy rules

Gerard — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:18:50 GMT

The European Union (EU) wants stronger privacy rules to give Internet users more control over how social-networking sites such as Facebook, or search engines such as Google use their personal information.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opportunity International: Giving the Poor a Working Chance

Gerard — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:49:10 GMT

Opportunity co-founder and former president of Bristol Myers International Corporation, the late Al Whittaker, encountered poverty as he travelled throughout the world in the 1960’s and 70’s. He asked the people he met: “What do you need?” They replied: "Work. With jobs, we will solve our own problems."

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.