Micro Loans matter and make a big difference in poor people's lives in conjuction with medical care

Micro-Loan Organization doing good:
   www.KIVA.org


Advocating for Micro-Loans:

A Promising, New Microfinance Bill Needs Your Support! If the innovative Microfinance & Microenterprise Enhancement Act that’s currently in review by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations gets the support it needs, it would: Protect microfinance clients from harmful financial products and practices; Support equitable and fair treatment (the bill has the good sense to quote our very own Smart Campaign’s Client Protection Principles!); and Invest in innovative programs and support a diversity of approaches to help reach the most marginalized populations. We’re just 550 letters away from our goal of sending 10,000 letters of support. Urge your Senators to support the Act today! > Accion’s Newest Venture…Lab We are proud to announce the launch of Accion Venture Lab, a seed-stage investment initiative. The Lab will support start-ups at a vital stage when they are normally considered ‘pre-investable’ – that is, when a product or service is ready to test the market but hasn’t yet proved its ability to generate revenue. “Our new Accion Venture Lab will seek companies developing innovative technologies and disruptive business models with the potential to transform the quality and scale of services available to the financially excluded,” explains Michael Schlein, Accion president and CEO. Learn more> Cheers with Us: Accion Happy Hours This April, Boston young professionals ventured out in the rain to support microfinance, international development, and mingle to with Accion staff. A big thank-you to everyone who came together to support our work! The next Accion happy hour will be in Washington, D.C. in mid-May. 'Like' our Facebook page to stay up to date >  Congratulations to BancoSol on 20 Years of Pioneering Service In 1992, BancoSol was established as the first private commercial microfinance bank, with the help of Accion and other investors. Now, 20 years later, BancoSol continues to carry out its mission of meeting the financial needs of Bolivia's microentrepreneurs and small business owners, currently reaching 650,000 clients across the country. Learn more about BancoSol > A Loss to the Accion Family It is with sadness that we inform you that Terry Canavan, an Accion emeritus board member and longtime champion of Accion and microfinance, passed away on March 22nd at the age of 78. Terry was an active board member from 1983 through 1999, serving as chairman for 10 of those years. He was named an emeritus board member after leaving his active post, and he remained supportive of our work throughout the remainder of his life. For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow! We’d like to extend our deepest thanks to Cathy Quense, who recently retired after 28 years at Accion. Over the years, Cathy served as a senior team member in a variety of roles—including as CFO, interim CEO and, most recently as Chief Administrative Officer.  Her commitment to promoting financial inclusion, economic opportunity and social enterprise was and will continue to be a driving force here at Accion.  For your dedication and hard work, Cathy, thank you. Chicago Microfinance Conference May 4, 2012Chicago, IL, USA Michael Schlein, Accion president & CEO, Keynote Speaker AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa 2012 May 28 – 29, 2012 Accra, Ghana	Show Mom You Care  This Mother’s Day, we’ve got a great new selection of gifts to help show mom you care and help a hard-working mom abroad build a better life for herself and her family at the same time. From sewing kits and bolts of cloth to grilling tools and garden seeds and much more, we’ve got you covered! Walking Towards a Dream  Twice a week, Falodun Riskat used to have to make a seven-hour round-trip journey to a farm in a neighboring state in Lagos, Nigeria to buy live poultry. But with an $840 loan from Accion partner Accion Microfinance Bank, she was able to acquire more livestock and expand her business. Falodun has now learned to breed a few birds herself, really minimizing her time on the road. Meet Falodun here >
Accion is a global nonprofit dedicated to building a financially inclusive world with access to economic opportunity for all, by giving people the financial tools they need to improve their lives.  A world pioneer in microfinance, over the last 50 years we have helped build 62 microfinance institutions in 31 countries on four continents.  Those institutions are currently reaching millions of clients. The Accion U.S. Network is the largest microfinance network in the country and, since inception, has served hundreds of thousands of clients with loans and support. For further information, visit www.accion.org.