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Monthly Archives: December 2009

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Where we stand on microfinance charity

December 25, 2009
By Holden

We’ve thought and written a lot about microfinance lately. As of now, here’s where we stand. What microfinance is and isn’t First, it’s important to recognize that most of what you’ve heard about microfinance is false. It isn’t primarily about … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Grameen Foundation, Kiva, Microfinance charities, Problems with microfinance | 6 Replies

VillageReach’s answer to the “room for more funding” question: scenario analysis

December 24, 2009
By Holden

We’ve just updated our review of our top-rated organization, VillageReach. (Our July 2009 version is still available for posterity.) The big picture remains the same – we feel this organization has a stronger case for cost-effective impact than any other … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Room For More Funding, Top charities, VillageReach | 1 Reply

Incentives for microfinance charities

December 23, 2009
By Holden

I’m very concerned about the incentives for microfinance charities. As I see it, these are the things that they are “rewarded” for: Profitability, for obvious reasons. Any for-profit investors in microfinance institutions are presumably putting great pressure on them to … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Microfinance charities, Problems with microfinance | 3 Replies

You can’t take the “repayment rate” at face value

December 22, 2009
By Holden

We’ve written before about problems with the way a microfinance institution’s “repayment rate” is commonly cited. We’ve been surprised to find that most institutions do not report what most of us would think of as a “repayment rate,” i.e., the … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Microfinance charities, Problems with microfinance | 6 Replies

Is borrowing good for the borrowers?

December 21, 2009
By Holden

Just because someone is repaying their loans doesn’t mean they’re benefiting from the loans. We have given some conceptual/anecdotal support for this idea in the past, linking to David Roodman’s posts on possible “overlending” and comparing microloans to payday loans. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Microfinance charities, Problems with microfinance | 1 Reply

Orphanages

December 21, 2009
By Holden

We haven’t done much work on charities that try to help orphans and vulnerable children, and we intend to do more. Here are some preliminary thoughts, though. At first glance, this area might seem among the simplest and least controversial. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Posted in Orphanages charity | 4 Replies

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