Grameen Foundation
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Grameen Foundation, founded as Grameen Foundation USA, is a global 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Washington DC that works to replicate the Grameen Bank microfinance model around the world through a global network of partner microfinance institutions.
It is separate from organizations called Grameen Foundation in different countries, such as Grameen Foundation Australia.[1]
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[edit] History
The Foundation was founded in 1997 as a vehicle to replicate the model of Grameen Bank beyond the borders of Bangladesh and increase the access of poor people to microfinance by millions worldwide. Muhammad Yunus, the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, sits on the Board of Directors.
[edit] Approach
Grameen Foundation operates under the mission, "to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information."[2]
[edit] Reach
As of December 2006, Grameen Foundation works with 52 microfinance institutions reaching 2.7 million clients across 22 countries. In total, the network impacts an estimated 5.5 million lives in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. [3]
The network includes:
- Negro Women for Tomorrow Foundation[citation needed]
[edit] Further reading
- Yunus, Muhammad (1999). Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-891620-11-8.
- Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Stock of What We Know; Nathanael Goldberg, December 2005.
- iinnovate podcast series interviews Alex Counts, founder and CEO of Grameen Foundation
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Grameen Foundation Australia, replicating the Grameen Bank model within South East Asia
- Nokia, Grameen Collaborate for African Villages Highway Africa News Agency, November 25, 2005. [4]
