Social Entrepreneurship: The New “Hybrid” Organization
Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation are the new “buzz words” when it comes to both the business and non-profit sectors. Many people believe social enterprises to be a mix of both worlds, incorporating the social impact focus of non-profits, with the financial stability, or financial returns, of a business. Some are even calling these emerging […]
Microfinance: The Grameen and BRAC Experience
Two of the most widely recognized microfinance institutions in the world today are both located in Bangladesh: the Grameen Bank and BRAC. The Grameen Bank was founded by Mohammed Yunus in 1976. Since then, they have loaned nearly 13 billion US Dollars to almost 4.5 trillion borrowers. In November of 2012, the bank had 8.4 million active borrowers with more […]
Microfinance: An introduction
Mrs. Rajalakshmi displays loan cards issued to borrowers enrolled in Mahasemam Trust’s Microfinance Loan Program. Chennai, India. Over the last few decades, microfinance, or microcredit, has become a popular mechanism for economic development and poverty reduction. Microcredit can be defined as “programmes that extend small loans to very poor people for self-employment projects that generate income, allowing […]