http://www.g-lish.org/making-a-difference/micro-finance/ Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:51:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://www.g-lish.org/making-a-difference/micro-finance//comment-page-1#comment-261 Gayle Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:15:30 +0000 http://www.g-lish.org/?p=323#comment-261 Hi Christiane, Thank you. This is such an excellent comment and will be really useful for readers. I shall add it into the post itself with attribution to you and VEI. Itotally agree with your holistic approach as solutions to poverty are complex and require an integrated approach. Also agree with you on health insurance--I know several people here near us who should have but haven't registered yet. We keep pushing them to do it. When we have our org up and running we'll make it a condition or participation. Thank you. Check out www.villageexchangeinternational.org to see more about VEI's operations in Ghana. Hi Christiane, Thank you. This is such an excellent comment and will be really useful for readers. I shall add it into the post itself with attribution to you and VEI. Itotally agree with your holistic approach as solutions to poverty are complex and require an integrated approach. Also agree with you on health insurance–I know several people here near us who should have but haven’t registered yet. We keep pushing them to do it. When we have our org up and running we’ll make it a condition or participation. Thank you. Check out http://www.villageexchangeinternational.org to see more about VEI’s operations in Ghana.

]]> http://www.g-lish.org/making-a-difference/micro-finance//comment-page-1#comment-245 Christiane Milev Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:07:05 +0000 http://www.g-lish.org/?p=323#comment-245 Hi Gayle, I wanted to mention that besides these major organizations, there are some NGOs (like for example Village Exchange Ghana in the rural areas of the Volta Region and Initiative Development Ghana in the slums of Accra)trying to offer financial services to the poorest tied up with a "social mission". We believe that the offer of quality non financial services significantly improves the impact of financial services. By social mission, we mean Life Skills education (information on hygiene, nutrition, early child development, malaria, etc.) but also development of basic business skills and entrepreneurial capacities, information on reproductive and sexual health, and on reproductive health rights, child protection, girl child, etc. We also encourage vigorously the members of our MF groups to register to the National Health Insurance scheme, so that they can access enhanced medical services, which will impact their overall situation and reduce the credit risk through medical coverage. We believe strongly in this pro-poor holistic approach which is less lucrative than financial services alone but much safer for the populations involved. Best, Christiane Hi Gayle,
I wanted to mention that besides these major organizations, there are some NGOs (like for example Village Exchange Ghana in the rural areas of the Volta Region and Initiative Development Ghana in the slums of Accra)trying to offer financial services to the poorest tied up with a “social mission”. We believe that the offer of quality non financial services significantly improves the impact of financial services. By social mission, we mean Life Skills education (information on hygiene, nutrition, early child development, malaria, etc.) but also development of basic business skills and entrepreneurial capacities, information on reproductive and sexual health, and on reproductive health rights, child protection, girl child, etc.
We also encourage vigorously the members of our MF groups to register to the National Health Insurance scheme, so that they can access enhanced medical services, which will impact their overall situation and reduce the credit risk through medical coverage.
We believe strongly in this pro-poor holistic approach which is less lucrative than financial services alone but much safer for the populations involved.
Best,
Christiane

]]>