Oikocredit USA Blog

Wednesday 20 February 2013 Stuart Krengel just returned from the 2013 Oikocredit Study Tour to Casamance, Senegal. Over the course of a week, he met Oikocredit staff and volunteers from all over the world, visited partners and connected with the end beneficiaries of Oikocredit's funds. full story

Tuesday 12 February 2013 Stuart Krengel is currently on location in Casamance, Senegal, participating in the 2013 Oikocredit study tour. Throughout the week, Stuart will be blogging from the field about his experiences and the impact of Oikocredit’s work in the field. He’s joined by Oikocredit volunteers and staff from all over the world. full story

Thursday 07 February 2013 Today, Oikocredit USA’s Stuart Krengel will be traveling to the Casamance region of Senegal to meet with Oikocredit field staff and learn more about the work our partners are doing in Senegal. Before he leaves, this installment of Tour around the World with Oikocredit will explore the Oikocredit’s investments in one of Senegal’s major economic activities – mango farming. full story

Friday 02 November 2012 It has been estimated that nearly one billion people across Africa, Asia, and Latin America do not have a bank account, but do own a cell phone - that’s nearly 14% of the world’s population that cannot access formal financial services but can send a text message. But it is also one billion possible solutions to the overwhelming lack of financial access in many developing countries full story

Wednesday 15 August 2012 Oikocredit USA National Director Sharlene Brown interviewed Cris Lomboy, the Asia Regional PPI Specialist for Grameen Foundation, to understand how an organization implements and ultimately utilizes the PPI in its processes. full story

Saturday 19 May 2012 Of all the things I have learned on this study tour to Bulgaria, one of the most poignant has been the strength of our team in Bulgaria. Their impact here is apparent: not only through the financial portfolio – Bulgaria’s portfolio at risk is 0% – but through the close relationships we saw between the clients we met and the Bulgaria team members. full story

Wednesday 16 May 2012 Oikocredit USA’s Leah Gage has headed to Eastern Bulgaria to spend the week with our Bulgaria Country Office staff and spend time at the agricultural and credit cooperatives Oikocredit funds there. Follow her as she posts her findings from the field! @OikocreditUSA #OikoinBulgaria full story

Monday 30 April 2012 Oikocredit is known worldwide for taking bigger chances on smaller organizations that may be considered riskier investments. But as was shown in Bulgaria – and has been shown time and again throughout the world* – our willingness to take those chances often pays off, and helps those most in need. This installment of Tour Around the World with Oikocredit explores our investments in Bulgaria, and introduces this former Soviet Bloc country ahead of our staff person Leah’s trip there next week! full story

Monday 05 March 2012 Thursday, March 8th is International Women’s Day. Why do we celebrate International Women’s Day? It is an annually recognized date in which we salute women’s achievements in their struggle for quality and justice. It’s also a day in which we highlight the gender issues that remain unsolved and applaud initiatives created to provide those solutions. One such issue affecting women and children is a lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. full story

Friday 03 February 2012 Director’s Corner follows Oikocredit USA National Director Sharlene Brown as she reflects on her work and her travels to investors and supportive communities in the US.

Last weekend I attended Rotary’s Symposium to Eliminate Poverty Sustainably (STEPS) and was blown away at the commitment to service of Rotarians around the world. This symposium gave me the opportunity to hear about the projects Rotarians have supported in Peru, Indonesia, Haiti, and Afghanistan. full story

Wednesday 21 December 2011 Oikocredit’s motto is “Investing in People.” But what does that mean – and how can investments funds from US investors reach entrepreneurs and workers in the poorest countries worldwide? Oikocredit USA staffer Leah Gage breaks it down. full story

Tuesday 15 November 2011 Ghana has also been rated as 2nd amongst countries with the quickest-growing GDP for 2011[ii]. However, the economic promise of oil doesn’t trickle down to those living at the “Bottom of the Pyramid”- the poorest of the poor in Ghana.The latest economic indicators show that almost 30% of the population lives on $1.25 a day[i]. Ghana’s export economy churns through a pool of poor day-laborers who mine gold and produce cocoa. This type of economic activity gives them little chance to develop businesses that contribute to reliable and consistent incomes. full story

Monday 17 October 2011 Director’s Corner follows Oikocredit USA National Director Sharlene Brown through her travels to investors and supportive communities in the US. full story

Friday 30 September 2011 With Halloween right around the corner, Americans are about to indulge in their favorite candies, such as M&Ms, Snickers, and Kit-Kats. In fact, we individually enjoy almost 11 pounds of chocolate a year![i] Americans demand $4.3 billion in cocoa imports—that’s 1,222,300 metric tons of cocoa! [ii] However, did you know that the companies that make your favorite treats may be guilty of supporting child labor and human trafficking in West Africa? The Ivory Coast, where 43% of the world’s cocoa is produced [iii], is estimated to have over 100,000 child slaves working on cocoa plantations [iv]. So why is nothing being done to stop this? Well, the cocoa industry makes $1 trillion in yearly revenues[v] and has significant power in the U.S. economy[vi]. In 2001, two American lawmakers[vii] created legislation to get large chocolate companies to label their products “child-labor free,” launching a subsequent campaign that brought them to the Ivory Coast. This month, we’ve reached the 10th anniversary of that act and little progress has been made. full story

Monday 15 August 2011 This is a continuation of Oikocredit USA’s Microfinance Investor Education Series, or MIE Series, designed to educate investors, advisors and fiduciaries about social impact issues in microfinance investing. Today’s blog is the first of a series of Guest Blogs by Alexandra Fiorillo at MicroFinance Transparency. full story

Thursday 21 July 2011 Yesterday, Oikocredit USA staff attended a seminar on Microfinance Investment Transparency and Evaluation, with presentations by Chuck Waterfield of MFTransparency and Sebastian von Stauffenberg of MicroRate. The recap of that event is posted here and below.

On Wednesday, July 20, Chuck Waterfield of MFTransparency and Sebastian von Stauffenberg of MicroRate explained important steps for expanding transparency and evaluation of microfinance institutions at the After Hours Seminar, sponsored by Microenterprise Development office of USAID. full story

Tuesday 28 June 2011 Jo Ann Swahn is the Executive Director of Honduras Good Works, an education and health development organization that works to empower Hondurans to break the cycle of poverty. Honduras Good Works is introducing an economic development component to their holistic approach to poverty alleviation, and Jo Ann recently visited Oikocredit’s Honduras Office to learn more about the microfinance landscape there. full story

Monday 13 June 2011 Oikocredit’s 2011 Summer meetings ahead of its Annual General Meeting begin today in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. To mark the occasion, Oikocredit is launching the newest addition to our blog, Tour Around the World with Oikocredit. Poverty looks different in every country, every community. With partners in 71 different countries worldwide, Oikocredit has an opportunity to share important information about poverty in the countries in which we work. This week we share information about Tanzania. full story

Thursday 19 May 2011 So we want to know: why do you invest? What inspired you to invest your hard-earned funds in income-generating projects for the working poor around the globe? Tell us here by commenting below. full story

Monday 02 May 2011 Most of us know how much our mothers do, and have always done, for us. We know how important they are, and how we rely on them for support, no matter if we are young or old, rich or poor. Our mothers would sacrifice everything so that we are safe and happy – I think this is a universal trait of mothers all throughout the world. And for one day each year, we officially honor them for being, in many ways, the most important woman in our lives. full story

Wednesday 06 April 2011 Political unrest-turned-Civil War in Ivory Coast as reaching a frightening head. UN peace keepers and French military forces are now engaged in a military assault on Laurent Gbagbo’s supporting ... full story

Tuesday 08 March 2011 Today marks 100 years since we first celebrated International Women’s Day. Remarkably, 100 years later, the world’s most prominent political and economic leaders are still calling for equitable investment in poor women around the world. full story

Wednesday 19 January 2011 As Oikocredit gears up for our upcoming event in Washington, DC this Friday, I find myself getting really excited. My anticipation has been mounting for a while, and not just because it’s going to... full story

Monday 03 January 2011 As we approach the one year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the nation of Haiti on January 12th, we are forced to reflect on the progress that has been made in the last twelve months. full story