Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicsk film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Chuck Waterfield of Microfinance Transparency makes a superb and frightening argument for published and comparable terms for microloans.

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicsk film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicsk film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicsk film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

A microfinance self help group meet up at a local community center in a village near Pune, Maharashtra.© Oxfam Australia

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

CCAFS East Africa together with partners facilitated the training of 130 women in the Nyando region on climate smart innovations. Focus areas included; new climate smart practices and agro-advisories, appropriate on farm tools and technologies and accessing microfinance and micro- insurance. The women interacted with a number of experts at the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Kisumu fair from 31 July to 3 August, 2013. Photo: V. Atakos (CCAFS)

Read about our activities in East Africa.

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Mrs. Sunitha Rajiv Magar, left, gives an interview to microfinance researchers in Madurai, India on January 5, 2007. Magar and seven family members work in the flower-weaving business she created with a microfinance loan.

AA Ataqwaah purchased a new John Deere tractor thanks to a USAID-FinGAP facilitated partnership between the American company, the Danish International Development Agency, and a Ghanaian microfinance institution. USAID-FinGAP

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Padmavathi is a 26-year-old mother of two. For her and her family life has been a long struggle. Although she was born into a sculpting family, and learnt the skill as a child, Padmavathi soon discovered it was not considered a profession for women. Her education was short lived and then she was married off to a sculptor. Unfortunately, orders were hard to come by and their income was meagre. Read Padmavathi's full story here: www.handinhandinternational.org/casestudy/padmavathi-scul...

Microfinance India Women Entrepreneurs

PHOTO CREDIT. If you would like to use this image, please credit Hand in Hand International with the hyperlink: www.hihinternational.org/. Thank you.

This work by Hand in Hand International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Based on a work at www.hihinternational.org/.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.hihinternational.org/.

L-Pesa Group Loan sending money overseas Uganda

from L-Pesa MicroFinance 3 minutes ago All Audiences

Mobile banking is the world’s most successful money transfer service. It enables millions of people who have access to a mobile phone, but do not have or have only limited access to a bank account, to send and receive money, micro loans, top-up airtime and make bill payments L-Pesa MicroFinance launch their product l-pesa a small scale loan in Uganda, Tanzania.

25 February 2013

left/right

Jean-Luc Perron, Managing Director of Grameen Credit Agricole Microfinance Foundation

Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank

Angel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD.

photo: Herve Cortinat/OECD

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicsk film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

A Microfinance client improved her flower business with loans from the Dong Trieu Women Trust Fund in Quang Ninh province, North Viet Nam. ©ILO

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License. To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/deed.en_US.

Bank To The Future Protect Your Future Before Governments Go Bust quote from Chapter 8 - CrowdFunding

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

48ème Midi de la microfinance (ADA) - Luxembourg - Ville - Banque de Luxembourg - 27/02/2020 - photo: claude piscitelli

Children play in Mchinji, Malawi as a local business woman tells her microfinance story for a MicroFlicks film from VisionFund and World Vision. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Bitani (age 6) plays with her brothers as her Grandma Ifgenia is filmed telling her story about getting a microfinance film from VisionFund. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

6-year-old Binati sits with her family while her Grandma gets interviewed for a short film based on her experience getting a microfinance loan from VisionFund Malawi. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Microfinance India Women Entrepreneurs

PHOTO CREDIT. If you would like to use this image, please credit Hand in Hand International with the hyperlink: www.hihinternational.org/. Thank you.

This work by Hand in Hand International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Based on a work at www.hihinternational.org/.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.hihinternational.org/.

Nazima from Gorimedu, Trichy received a 10k INR ($200) loan from Guardian (an mfi specializing in water and sanitation loans)

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Bitani (age 6) plays with her brothers as her Grandma Ifgenia is filmed telling her story about getting a microfinance film from VisionFund. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

©FAO/Believe Nyakudjara

Farmer at the agricultural plot.

The opening panel of the 2011 MFC Annual Conference, “Reorienting Microfinance: Generating New or Repairing the Old?” featured Maria Teresa Zappia of BlueOrchard, Professor Dr. Adalbert Winkler of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Dr. Milford Bateman of the University of Juraj Dobrila Pula, Christian Speckhardt of responsAbility, Luka Djurovic of Alter Modus and Rupert Scofield of FINCA International. The panel was moderated by Elvira Lefting of Finance in Motion.

Tebwala (age 7) smiles for the camera as her grandma, Ifgenia, is filmed telling her story about getting a microfinance film from VisionFund. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

"Cow Brand" Appalam. Chennai, India.

The regional TA will support the Microfinance Risk Participation and Guarantee Program in addressing market gaps while strengthening financing for home improvement and upgrading housing and access to water supply and sanitation through the provision of loan loss guarantees, targeting these end-use specific loans. The TA addresses bottlenecks by providing a first-loss guarantees on loans that partner financial institutions extend to MFIs, specifically targeted at home improvement and improving access to water and sanitation In addition, the TA will also provide capacity building to MFIs covering: (i) product development, project planning and implementation with the targeted micro-borrowers; (ii) training of MFI staff; (iii) establishing guidelines for climate-resilient model housing and materials; and (iv) creating local language content knowledge-dissemination and training materials. Given the requirements of the TA providers; the TA has been designed and is being implemented on a regional basis.

Read more on:

India

Building Community Resilience through Microfinance in Lagging Peri-Urban Settlements

Bank To The Future Protect Your Future Before Governments Go Bust quote from Chapter 8 - CrowdFunding

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

A powerpoint presentation highlights some of the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in India.(Chennai)

Week ago Saturday as I walked past the Borders Bookstore at Terminal C of Logan International Airport in Boston my eye caught the book cover "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. Having heard him speak recently I couldn't resist stepping into the store to pick up a copy.

Very soon thereafter an unusually helpful store assistant, whom you see pictured above, came over to help me with the book purchase. She was obviously a very erudite woman.

"Have you read any books on MicroFinance by Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank?" she asked me.

"No" I said embarrassed.

"Let me show you some" she said and walked me to the Social Sciences section where she proceeded to show me all the titles on Microfinance and started telling me about how Amartya Sen and his colleagues in this field had made a huge difference to the lives of very poor people in the developing world.

Borders has obviously implemented the online Amazon feature of "People who bought this book have also bought..." in their offline stores quite well, I thought.

As I proceeded to pay for the book, she asked: "Are you from India? What is your name?"

"Bhandarkar" I said.

"These days I'm settled here in Boston. In the 1930's my parents lived in Nasik, and they were very close friends with a Professor Vasudev Bhandarkar and his wife Sudha. They had two children, Asha and Anil. You know, he was later murdered, in 1954, in Mumbai. He was then the Coal Commissioner of the State of Mumbai (before it was split between Gujarat and Maharashtra)".

That was simply too much for me. Because that Professor Bhandarkar was my great grand uncle and I know his kids Anil and Asha, who currently reside in Mumbai, quite well. My father named me Vasudev in his memory.

Before taking her picture I asked her name, Sujata Kesarcodi-Whaley, she said, and off I rushed to board my flight.

On Monday, April 29, 2013 the Center for International Financial Services and Markets of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business and the Hofstra Cultural Center held a conference titled IMPACT INVESTING: From Private Equity to Microfinance.

Impact investing continues to increase in popularity as investors demand that companies focus on long-range sustainability and strong corporate governance. During stock selection, asset managers are increasingly examining the environmental, social and governance records of companies. Corporate managers are expending resources to enhance their social responsibility reports, thereby highlighting their commitment to sustainable growth. This conference features a range of experts who will discuss recent trends in impact investing and its influence on corporate behavior and the social environment.

Conference Agenda:

Executive Luncheon Speaker

Kai-Yan Lee, Chief U.S. Representative, China Vanke Ltd.

Impact Investing: Corporate, Regulatory and Academic

Lauren Koopman, Director, U.S. Sustainable Business Solutions, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Lydia Doll, Senior Associate, Corporate Responsibility, NYSE Euronext

Abigail Noble, Investors Industries, World Economic Forum

Impact Investing: Microfinance and Outreach

Timothy Ogden, Managing Director, Financial Access Initiative, NYU

Amy Feldman, Director of Programs, Business Outreach Center Network

Timothy Rudd, Research Associate, MDRC

Scott Budde, CEO, Better Harvest Federal Credit Union

Special Address by the Joseph G. Astman Distinguished

Conference Scholar: Media Coverage of Microfinance in India

Paranjoy Thakurta, Journalist and Television Anchor, “India Talks”

Keynote Dinner Speaker

Vincent Molinari, Founder and CEO, Gate Technologies

We would like to sincerely thank Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. for sponsoring this conference.

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

Raphael (age 9) smiles for the camera as her grandma, Ifgenia, is filmed telling her story about getting a microfinance film from VisionFund. Business owner, farmer, grandmother to six children, and microfinance entrepreneur, Ifgenia has had her share of struggles. Born in the 1950’s, Ifgenia went to school and had dreams of going to college and getting a business degree. She was discouraged from this by her family, dropped out of school and married young.

In 2002 she was hit by a car. After 11 months in the hospital, Ifgenia hobbled out on crutches forbidding her to be able to do any sort of strenuous physical activity ever again.

Unfortunately, death of family is an all too often experience for Ifgenia. Her husband passed away of heart problems. Her son and two daughters also passed away leaving Ifgenia with five orphans to care for -- and she does so with love, faith, and provision. Raphael (9 years old), Jackson (7 years old), Binati (6 years old), Tebwala (6 years old), and Ephraim (2 years old) depend on their grandmother for everything -- food, shelter, clothing, and the opportunity to gain an education.

Ifgenia's life was a struggle with the burden of caring for five small children with a disability. A "headache" as she described it, having to find odd-end jobs to make money for a week at a time. Her cousin told her about VisionFund; that if she and some other women in her village were determined, they could get together and call the advisers of VisionFund who could help them.

Ifgenia received her first loan of 20,000 Kwacha ($500 USD) which she used to buy seeds, fertiliser, and tools to start her own farming business. Soon her business called for more. She repaid her first loan and drew a second one this time using the money to purchase a bike and a cow giving her milk to sell and a mode of transportation for a neighbor or one of her grandchildren to ride to the market for her. A third loan was later taken out and now Ifgenia also has a small number of piglets.

The money she has gained by being able to sell extra crops, milk, and pigs at the market is used to send her grandchildren to school -- a cost of approximately 15,000-135,000 Kwacha a year. I asked her what her dream is for her grandchildren. She said, "My dream is that they are the best in their class, that they finish school because I never did." And what her dream for her business is as she is saving for a fourth VisionFund loan: "I hope to improve my business (so that I can) improve my house. There are many leaks and things to be fixed so that my grandchildren have a good home."

A Mahasemam loan passbook. Chennai, India.

CCAFS East Africa together with partners facilitated the training of 130 women in the Nyando region on climate smart innovations. Focus areas included; new climate smart practices and agro-advisories, appropriate on farm tools and technologies and accessing microfinance and micro- insurance. The women interacted with a number of experts at the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Kisumu fair from 31 July to 3 August, 2013. Photo: V. Atakos (CCAFS)

Read about our activities in East Africa.