A basic requirement for gender parity anywhere is fair access to work and financial resources. In the Global South, many women are addressing this need collectively; the creation of informal savings groups are giving women in some of the poorest places the power to plan their own future.
Grameen Foundation Insights
The global movement to end poverty and hunger depends on the constant exchange of experience and ideas. That’s why we are eager to share our experiences with people like you.
Our Insights blog shares lessons learned from leaders in the field; examines efforts to bring resources and services to poor communities; and reviews how poverty-focused organizations are using data for greater impact.
Latest Posts
Legions of women quietly broke barriers this year.
11/29/2017 by Steve Hollingworth and Lauren Hendricks
2017 was a year of breakthroughs. Women in Saudi Arabia finally won the legal right to drive. Serena Williams became the first tennis player (and not just the first female player) to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the open era.
(From left) Kristen Dailey, Global Washington; Paul Moseley, Gates Foundation; Steve Hollingworth, Grameen Foundation; Matthew Arnold, JPMorgan Chase Photo Credit: Grameen Foundation
11/07/2017
“It’s not culturally common for us to work with foundations and NGOS--we’re a bank,” said Matthew Arnold, the Global Head of Sustainable Finance for JPMorgan Chase, which handles US$2 trillion in assets.
photo by Karl Grobl for Grameen Foundation
09/12/2017 by Prabhat Labh, CEO of Grameen Foundation India
This post was originally published on NextBillion, and is republished with permission.
Female agents can help overcome social barriers and help women gain more control over their financial lives.
08/07/2017 by Lauren Hendricks, Executive Vice President, and Christian Loupeda, Senior Director Financial Inclusion, Grameen Foundation
The piece was originally published on the Center for Financial Inclusion's blog.
06/30/2017 by Monica Amponsah
It has been five weeks since the latest Ebola outbreak and we are still holding our breaths. Four people died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (one confirmed case and three suspected cases of the Ebola virus); eight people have been infected.
"What is Financial Inclusion" Board Game
06/13/2017 by Amelia Kuklewicz
As an industry, we have made significant strides in understanding, measuring and tracking financial inclusion worldwide. One sign is the steady stream of emails, conferences and webinars discussing best practices for creating useful, affordable products and services, educating clients appropriately, and safeguarding their rights.
05/31/2017 by Dr. Gabriela Salvador
Several years ago, while working with an indigenous Guatemalan community to improve health access, a pregnant woman experiencing severe convulsions arrived at the local clinic. Fatima was close to full term, and had two young children by her side. But her convulsions were already out of control. She died shortly after arriving.
A field officer from Mars inspects a cocoa nursery in Tarengge, Indonesia.
05/30/2017 by Leo Tobias and Peter van Grinsven
Last week, an agronomist stood in a field of cocoa in Indonesia trying to make our latest mobile agricultural platform fail.
He selected dozens of hypothetical combinations of variables such as tree spacing and soil quality, but the program consistently delivered what it was built to create: highly personalized farm plans for smallholder cocoa farmers.
Savings groups have become a platform for development and an important bridge to financial services for those without access to banks.
05/19/2017 by Sybil Chidiac
As M-PESA, the popular mobile phone-based money transfer service in Kenya turns ten this year, the progress towards financial inclusion in East Africa is evident. In Kenya and Tanzania, it is easier than ever to access financial services with only a mobile phone.