Articles

This section contains a number of important articles addressing microfinance and integrated services in particular - including the most recent paper by President Chris Dunford, "Evidence of Microfinance's Contribution to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals."

Adding Value to Microfinance and to Public Health Education - At the Same Time

This article shares evidence that public health and microfinance objectives can be achieved at the same time with the same staff through careful integration of education and financial service delivery. In particular, the article shares results from impact research in Ghana, operations research in the Philippines and Freedom from Hunger’s experience since 1989 in developing and supporting Credit with Education. The author finds that the major ingredients for successful integration are found in the general capacity to manage people and programs and the specific institutional will to succeed in integrating services originating from different sectors of development. [Adding Value to Microfinance and to Public Health Education - At the Same Time, by Christopher Dunford. Finance for the Poor 4 (4): 1-4, December 2003. (Online web site: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Periodicals/Microfinance)]

Why Set a Threshold for Service Orientation to the Very Poor?

This discussion paper addresses USAID’s choice of expenditure in the Microenterprise Development (MED) funding program. Specifically, it explores the political context of the debate, poverty measurement, linkage of measured progress to resources and arguments regarding the client threshold for “orientation to the very poor.” The author argues that Congress, which has already resolved that MED should help “the very poor,” should use the opportunity provided by reauthorization of its MED legislation to set a clear standard for outreach to the “very poor.”

Executive Summary of Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education In Health, Family Planning, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs

This is the executive summary to the full discussion paper, Building Better Lives. Recognizing that the very poor need more than microfinance to address the causes and conditions of their poverty, the discussion paper explains how organizations can ensure a “coordinated combination” of appropriate services, particularly in rural areas, without compromising the sustainability of their microfinance and overall operations. Special attention is given to integration of microfinance with health education for very poor women. The paper begins by describing three common models for delivering integrated services - linked, parallel and unified – and goes on to share detailed case studies of microfinance institutions utilizing the parallel model (BRAC in Bangladesh and PRO MUJER in Bolivia) and the unified model (FUCEC Togo, FOCCAS Uganda and CRECER in Bolivia). The author’s stated goals are to provide evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of the unified model and to explore common challenges to that model. The author explains that the intention is not to “promote” the unified model, but rather to offer balanced information about strengths and weaknesses so that organizations may make informed choices based on their local options and institutional will. [Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Health, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs, by Christopher Dunford, Microcredit Summit Campaign. August 2001. 71pp. with appendices. (Online web site: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/papers/papers.htm)]

Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education In Health, Family Planning, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs

Recognizing that the very poor need more than microfinance to address the causes and conditions of their poverty, this discussion paper explains how organizations can ensure a “coordinated combination” of appropriate services, particularly in rural areas, without compromising the sustainability of their microfinance and overall operations. Special attention is given to integration of microfinance with health education for very poor women. The paper begins by describing three common models for delivering integrated services - linked, parallel and unified – and goes on to share detailed case studies of microfinance institutions utilizing the parallel model (BRAC in Bangladesh and PRO MUJER in Bolivia) and the unified model (FUCEC Togo, FOCCAS Uganda and CRECER in Bolivia). The author’s stated goals are to provide evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of the unified model and to explore common challenges to that model. The author explains that the intention is not to “promote” the unified model, but rather to offer balanced information about strengths and weaknesses so that organizations may make informed choices based on their local options and institutional will. [Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Health, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs, by Christopher Dunford, Microcredit Summit Campaign. August 2001. 71pp. with appendices. (Online web site: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/papers/papers.htm)]

Appendices for Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education In Health, Family Planning, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs

Appendix A presents three detailed case studies: FUCEC Togo (unified example), BRAC in Bangladesh (parallel example) and PRO MUJER in Bolivia (a hybrid unified/parallel example). Appendix B explores Client Demand and Choice in Credit with Education. Appendix C provides a sample Family Planning lesson plan from CRECER, an organization in Bolivia using the unified model to deliver integrated education services. Appendix D provides a sample HIV/AIDS Prevention lesson plan from FOCCAS, an organization in Uganda using the unified model. And, Appendix E details special considerations for self-financed delivery of microfinance unified with other development services. [Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Health, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs, by Christopher Dunford, Microcredit Summit Campaign. August 2001. 71pp. with appendices. (Online web site: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/papers/papers.htm)]

Building Better Lives Panel Discussion

Panelist remarks from a Microcredit Summit discussion of the paper, "Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Child Survival, Reproductive Health, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest Entrepreneurs," by Freedom from Hunger President, Chris Dunford.

The Microcredit Summmit's Challenge: Working Towards Institutional Self-Sufficiency While Maintaining a Commitment to Serving the Poorest Families

Institutional Financial Self-Sufficiency (IFS) is necessary for a Microfinance Institution (MFI) in order to obtain the large amount of funds required to reach and benefit truly large numbers of the poor and poorest households. This paper demonstrates, with several case studies, that there is no necessary trade-off between serving large numbers of the poorest households and the attainment of IFS by an MFI. It also points out that cost-effective identification of the poor and the poorest women is essential to maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of providing microfinance services to them. Furthermore, it argues that the poorest women in Asia, Africa and Latin America are proving that they can and will pay the required cost of this opportunity to reduce their poverty and to provide a better future for their children. This is made possible by the impressive returns to their micro-enterprises, averaging normally more then 100%. [The Microcredit Summit's Challenge: Working Towards Institutional Financial Self-Sufficiency while Maintaining a Commitment to Serving the Poorest Families by David S. Gibbons and Jennifer Meehan, Microcredit Summit Campaign. Updated June 2000. 34 pp. (Online web site: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/papers/challengespaper.htm)]

Evidence of Microfinance’s Contribution to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

This paper, commissioned by the Microcredit Summit, examines key impact studies and data from leading MFIs to address the question: "Can microfinance reach very large numbers of the very poor and still be sustainable and have important impacts?" In answer, Dr. Dunford identifies a number of sustainable MFIs bringing substantial poverty reduction to large numbers of the very poor. Moreover, he concludes that microfinance can and does contribute to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and in a major way.

GlobalMicroCredSummit Micro-Ins Panel Discuss-FINAL eng

Remarks by Myka Reinsch, Director, Microfinance and Health Protection (MAHP) during the associated panel discussion at the Global Microcredit Summit on November 12, 2006. Remarks to the following Microcredit Summit Campaign Commissioned Papers: "Effective Micro-Insurance Programs to Reduce Vulnerability" by Richard Leftley and Shadreck Mapfumo, Opportunity International Network and "Self-Employed Women’s Association’s (SEWA) Experience in Providing Micro-Insurance Services to Poor Informal Sector Workers" by Jayshree Vyas, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)