Comments on: Challenging Questions, No Easy Answers

By: jheinzelman

jheinzelman — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:49:49 +0000

Cara, funny…I’ve written almost the same thing in my journal. Hope to refine some thoughts and make this a dialog. I leave the field energized some days that I meet people who have used loans to open new shops or invest in more efficient generators to lower their overhead. I leave the field other days depressed by what I term “credit addicts.” One thing I have been pleasantly surprised by, at least here in Nigeria, is the number of clients who are putting children through University! I had to step back for a moment and look at the big picture. Maybe it’s not as immediate as a second shop or a decrease in overhead, but for me, the upliftment of the next generation has provided some relief for my frustration.

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By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:23:07 +0000

Cara: I echo the others in saying that this is a wonderful and thought-provoking post. I’m delighted to see you put some of these thoughts down in words, and I think its vitally important to recognize the role that we are playing the the holistic development, or maintainance (as the case may be), of our borrower’s lives and livelihoods around the world.

It is certainly my belief that change does not happen over-night, but is instead a slow and very incremental process. You insightful thoughts and comments on your work so far are a huge step in furthering transparency as to how microfinance works – its not a cure. Its a piece of a much larger solution.

keep up the good work, and thanks for all that you do!

Michelle

By: garycoover

garycoover — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:44:06 +0000

Great post. Loved the insight as I have been asking myself the same questions about my experience in Indonesia.

With Kiva’s clients with DINARI in Bali, the loans often do not help “grow” a business, but they consistently help provide a better life for the clients and their family. This “better life” is often the difference between providing education for their children. And as the poster John Cook said above, this may be the ultimate answer to the question of am I helping.

You summed it up well with your last line, which Yunus also mentions at the end of “Banker to the Poor”, in that microfinance is not THE solution, but a part of the solution.

By: John Cook

John Cook — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:36:09 +0000

Wow. I loved this post.

It raises some interesting questions that I hadn’t considered as a role for microfinance.

In the context of micro loans as a recurring way to maintain your business, I believe a long term view of success should be the goal.

The final answer to “am I helping?” may only be answered by the children of the folks using these programs today.

Huzzah!