Written by PlaNet Finance China Executive Director Gabrielle Harris
On February 22nd, 2011, the Executive Director of Sa-Dhan (the National Microfinance Association of India) and advisor to the Indian government on agricultural microfinance, Mathew Titus, spoke to MF players in China at a meeting held by the China Association of Microfinance, a meeting attended also by representatives of the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
Op-Ed Contribution by Muhammad Yunus on the New York Times
IN the 1970s, when I began working here on what would eventually be called “microcredit,” one of my goals was to eliminate the presence of loan sharks who grow rich by preying on the poor. In 1983, I founded Grameen Bank to provide small loans that people, especially poor women, could use to bring themselves out of poverty. At that time, I never imagined that one day microcredit would give rise to its own breed of loan sharks.
On October 27, 2010, an official told the 21st Century Business Herald that the government plans to raise the poverty line in China from RMB 1,196 (about USD 180) annual income to as high as RMB 1,400 (USD 209)[1]. The current standard primarily takes into account basic caloric intake to maintain an appropriate level of physical activity, with an allowance for other expenditures.
On October 18th, 2010, PlaNet Finance China Executive Director Gabrielle Harris, and Communications & Development Officer Katy Wang, accompanied visiting professionals from Holland to visit the NGO MFI[1] Funding the Poor Cooperative (FPC) in Yi County, Hebei Province. Below are some pictures of the day trip and reflections, written by Katy.
