Comments on: Blog Action Day 2008: Blogs Vs Poverty

By: Erik

Erik — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:16:43 +0000

I’m looking into different micro finance options. Does anyone have experience or opinion on Schwab Charitable’s new Micro finance program?

This program differs from direct microfinance gifts in that funds are used to guarantee loansâ€”like a parent co-signing a student loan.

I think it is interesting that this Schwab Charitable program is among a few organizations popping upâ€”Kiva.org and Microplace.comâ€”that are helping to bring microfinance funding opportunities to middle class Americans.

And microfinance in general is such contrast to the mess created by the credit crisis. It is succeeding because loans are transparent, lenders know the borrowers, borrowers are not encouraged to take out more debt than they need and loans arenâ€™t run through a Veg-o-matic that slices and dices the loans beyond recognition.

Default rates are less than 3 percent for microfinance loans, this despite the fact that loan recipients are typically poverty-stricken entrepreneurs in some of the worldâ€™s least developed economies..

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:06:59 +0000

I know a few people who use Kiva and they’re quite smug about it. Someday I’ll make friends who can do good deeds without trumpeting it about afterward. Sorry, Bono, guess that’s not you.

Empowerment. Empowerment. Empowerment. Empowerment. Empowerment. Empowerment. Empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowerment empowermentempowermentempowerment.

By: Julian Mentat

Julian Mentat — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:24:24 +0000

Good point. Celebrity concerts can’t solve poverty.
But, given their audience profile, they COULD address the menace of text-message spelling.
How about it, Bono? Save the Y and the O!

By: Trish

Trish — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:58:26 +0000

Apologies for the continued sincerity, but in case youâ€™re looking for more information on global poverty, including how our generation can achieve the Millennium Development Goals and put an end to extreme poverty, hunger and preventable disease, you should check out Millennium Promise. One of our initiatives, the Millennium Villages project, uses a holistic, integrated and community-led approach similar to the microfinance opportunity that Kiva gives to individuals. We provide tools and resources for interventions in agriculture, education, health and infrastructure to help rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Currently, the project reaches 80 villages in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. If youâ€™re interested and want to learn more, check out our site at http://www.millenniumpromise.org. And thanks for the shout-out to Blog Action Day (itâ€™s a good day)!

By: kouji haiku

kouji haiku — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:44:49 +0000

i love kiva. am currently unable to make a donation though, so i put up its banner on my blog (as well as that of freerice and goodsearch).

saw this post via the front page of blog action day. it’s great that you’re participating.

By: Blog Action Day - Some interesting posts « Sahar’s Blog

Blog Action Day - Some interesting posts « Sahar’s Blog — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:20:03 +0000

[...] Blog Vs Poverty: Lovely acerbic humor pondering amongst other things on why a celebrity studded concert didn’t solve the poverty issue. Isn’t celebrity the answer to EVERYTHING? [...]