Believing a physical challenge should not automatically create a financial one, Indian partner Equitas launched a program in late 2008 to encourage participation by the differently abled in local microfinance activities. A year later, after putting aside traditional notions of their role in their communities, a representative sample of differently abled Equitas members in Chennai… Read more >
Category: Update
Partner Spotlight: Paul Luchtenberg of AMK
May 1, 2010 – Update
In 2008, Unitus partnered with Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea (AMK), an MFI working in rural Cambodia to provide financial services to low-income households. Led by CEO Paul Luchtenberg, AMK is widely recognized for their social mission and was one of the first organizations to receive the Social Performance Reporting Award in 2009. Unitus sat down with Paul… Read more >
New Frontiers in Microfinance: Mobile Banking
May 1, 2010 – Update
Devin Erhardt (Manager, Global Programs) focuses on relationship management and consulting for Unitus. In recent months, she has been exploring new strategies for reaching poor, rural populations in the developing world who cannot access formal financial services. So, what is “mobile banking”?Mobile banking can describe many things, but primarily it means financial services—deposits, withdrawals, payments,… Read more >
Samhita Wins Unitus Acceleration Award
February 1, 2010 – Update
We are pleased to announce that Samhita Community Development Services, a Unitus MFI partner since January 2008, was awarded the 3rd Annual Unitus Acceleration Award. The award was presented at the recent Unitus Leadership Summit in Mussoorie, India. Each year, Unitus presents the Acceleration Award to a partner who best exemplifies the goal of accelerating… Read more >
Interview with Samit Ghosh, Microfinance Innovator
February 1, 2010 – Update
Ujjivan, a Unitus partner since 2006, is an MFI providing financial services to the economically active urban and semi-urban poor in India. Since their launch in November 2005, they’ve reached more than 550,000 clients with a diverse range of financial products and services. In October 2009, Unitus sat down with Mr. Samit Ghosh, founder and… Read more >
Partner Spotlight: An Interview with Adet Kachi
November 1, 2009 – Update
In 2006, Adet Kachi became CEO of Yehu Microfinance Trust, a Unitus partner serving the rural areas of coastal Kenya. This October, we were pleased to arrange for Adet to visit Equitas, a Unitus partner based in Chennai, India, as well as attend the 2009 Unitus Leadership Summit. We recently sat down with Adet to learn… Read more >
Unitus Leadership Summit 2009
November 1, 2009 – Update
Though young as a movement, microfinance has seen incredible growth in recent years, even in the midst of the economic downturn and sustained global credit crisis. At the same time, increased visibility has prompted debate on topics such as microfinance effectiveness in reducing poverty. This October, Unitus MFI partners, microfinance industry experts, and others gathered… Read more >
Innovation in Action: Equitas
September 1, 2009 – Update
A Unitus partner since September 2007, Equitas based in Chennai, India, is one of the fastest-growing MFIs in India. In just over 20 months of operations, the young MFI has reached more than 500,000 clients. The bedrock of Equitas’s scalability is its approach of delivering efficient back-office support to its branch teams. Equitas has established a… Read more >
Financial Literacy for the Working Poor
June 1, 2009 – Update
Swadhaar FinAccess was founded with the goal of providing the urban poor in Mumbai increased access to regular, reliable, and efficient financial services in a sustainable and scalable manner, and became a Unitus partner in 2006. In 2008, the organization launched Swadhaar FinServe Pvt. Ltd.—an NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company)—to take over microfinance operations, which has… Read more >
Samhita CEO Recognized for Achievement
March 1, 2009 – Update
Praseeda Kunam, CEO of Samhita Microfinance (a Unitus MFI partner since 2007), was recently honored with an Indian Women Achievers Award for her role in providing economic and health services to disadvantaged women. Organized by FICCI Ladies Organization (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), the event recognized women from a variety of fields… Read more >
The Financial Crisis & Microfinance: MBK Ventura
March 1, 2009 – Update
Founded in 2002, Unitus partner MBK Ventura is a microfinance institution (MFI) offering loans to low-income households in West Java, Indonesia. Recently named by MIX Market as the top-performing MFI globally, MBK Ventura is the only MFI in Indonesia focusing on the poorest 25 percent of Indonesians. Since partnering with Unitus in December 2006, the number of… Read more >
Empowering the “Ultra Poor”
March 1, 2009 – Update
We speak often about microfinance being a proven method for alleviating poverty. And it’s true. Microfinance is an incredible tool for helping the poor work their way to a life of sustainability, opportunity, and ultimately, economic self-empowerment. But it doesn’t work for all. For those living at the very bottom of the economic pyramid—those we… Read more >