During a recent visit to the U.S. from India, Vikram Akula walked into a downtown restaurant to talk to a group of well-heeled Seattle philanthropists about how they could help end poverty.
Confident and articulate, he held a microphone and paced in front of the crowd like a talk-show host.
As one of the new mavericks bringing banking to the poor, Akula didn't mention Mother Teresa, the World Bank or the U.N. His guiding lights are Starbucks, Coke and McDonald's.
"My single goal is to eradicate poverty," he said. "The best way to do that is to apply a business model."
SKS Microfinance, which Akula started in 1988, connects opposite ends of the global economy: poor women in India looking for loans to expand their tiny businesses with wealthy investors in the U.S. who are hoping to make a 20 percent profit.
The traditional system of loans to the poor by aid groups, known as "microfinance," relies mostly on charitable donations. Read the rest of the story here. . .
Ed. Note: Hey - I've always thought this would be a great way to get people involved in giving. Face it, people are always looking for what's in it for them. Evidently the joy of giving, the satisfaction...that's just not enough.
Now, if you can make a 20% profit, that's a pretty good investment. It's called the Business Model. You can get involved in a micro-finance project. Help a family out. Make Money. Do it again! WIN! WIN! WIN!
More Micro Finance Projects at GiveWhat? Category Finance and Abundance
No comments:
Post a Comment