Posted by
Mark McConnell on Wednesday, November 01, 2006 6:14:30 PM
I would like to have a list of Christian microcredit projects to add to the few that I found earlier. I particularly like
Five Talents, so far.
Five Talents"The
goals of Five Talents – fighting poverty, creating jobs and
transforming lives – give substance to my personal goal of serving God.
By feeding both the body and the soul, through small loans and
Biblically-based business training, we can demonstrate the love of
Christ and win disciples for Him.”
Oikocredit
Oikocredit believes that poor people can build themselves a better life, if only given the chance, if only given credit.
As a socially responsible investment opportunity, we promote global justice by converting investments into credits. We aim for high social impact and sustainable development.
Opportunity International Our mission is to provide opportunities for people in chronic poverty to transform their lives. Our strategy is to create jobs, stimulate small businesses, and strengthen communities among the poor. Our method is to work through indigenous partner organizations that provide small business loans, training, and counsel. Our commitment is motivated by Jesus Christ's call to serve the poor. Our core values are respect, commitment to the poor, integrity, and stewardship.
Updates:
- I first learned about Five Talents on Chuck Huckaby's blog
- Chuck also has a blog for the church he leads, called Mission Lawrence. He has an Oct. 19, 2006 post on Microlending and Christian missions there.
- I like the directness of Kiva. But this might be the most marked characteristic of its limitatiion. "Direct to the poor" types of aid typically help the giver (or voter) feel good, but they do not alleviate poverty. They might smooth over the rough times - get the self-motivated over a bump. But they do not, typically, "change lives". Is this model the exception?
- An interview with Kiva on nextbillion.net
- A blog description of Kiva, at The Wandering Heretic.
- On Kiva - Justin, at Radical Congruency
- BASIX-India a diversified approach to creating sustainable livelihoods.
Instead of "re-distributing wealth", is it possible to more widely distribute the means of wealth on such a small scale?
The potential for real impact seems to me to be obviously very limited. I don't see how this could lift whole populations out of poverty. But imagine this technological approach being used by the diaconal community of a whole denomination reviewing and managing cases in cooperation with a foreign missionary. It could have a very significant impact on both the sending community, and the mission community.
- Evangelical Social Action Forum (India)
Evangelical Social Action Forum is a registered charitable society,
born out of deep conviction that teaching and preaching should go hand
in hand with social action. Launched in 1992 under the patronage of
Kerala Evangelical Graduates Fellowship.
- Conservation Finance likens microfinance to "payday loans to people without paychecks".
- The Microfinance Gateway laments that "hope has bred hype". This article contains important historical and cultural reflections - addressed to those who see microfinance as the way to "end poverty", and other inflated expectations.
Since the 1970s, time and again our industry trades-in complex and
contextual approaches to development (institutional, legal, governance,
and other reforms) for bandaid solutions that produce at best marginal
changes, but satisfy the need to be perceived as "doing something for
the poor." Again, the question needs to be asked: Is the goal to ease
the pain or to cure the disease?
One downfall seems obvious: what about demand? Without demand, microfinancing is the same as "payday loans", as the critics say.