microGREENFUND: Financing the People by the Power of the People!

microGREENFUND: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in Indonesia.

Our findings and field research looks at how microfinance--the provision of small loans and other financial services to people not considered credit worthy by traditional financial institutions--can be used to advance environmental sustainability as well as social equality and empowerment in Indonesia.  

Its  starts out by explaining the philosophical approach that We applied to problem, namely, that to create a green economy in Indonesia we need to ensure that all segments of society are engaged on environmental issues through entrepreneurship, jobs, investment opportunities and a sense that environmental problems are relevant to people’s lives.  

The rest of the findings explores how microfinance can accomplish those goals through 

1) supporting ‘green collar entrepreneurs’--low and moderate-income individuals who want to start or expand green micro and small businesses, 

2) by providing environmental education to all borrowers so that they are empowered to become civic leaders advocating for policy changes, organizing community events, and starting businesses that improve environmental quality, and 

3) by providing loans for residential energy-efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to homeowners that wouldn’t ordinarily be able to partake in these types of programs due to problems with credit history or other barriers.

Share with us your comment and ideas in our microGREENFUND blooging website at http://microGREENFUND.blogspot.com

microGREENFUND

Check out the web site of the microfinance organization at http://microGREENFUND.blogspot.com 


To see all our blog posts related to GREEN ECONOMY, BANKING and TECHNOLOGY Please check http://GREENBankforINDONESIA.blogspot.com   http://darmawancomputing.blogspot.com   http://BankGreenBETA.blogspot.com   http://darmawanGREENFUND.blogspot.com


We are busy preparing the BETA site, please feel free to share with us your comment and ideas to darmawanconsulting@gmail.com

In 2006 Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as the founder of the Grameen BankGrameen started out giving tiny loans--known as micro-loans--to the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh.  In so doing, the bank was able to cut out the payday lenders and loan sharks that were charging the poor exorbitant interest and, as a result, the borrowers were able to quickly and permanently lift themselves out of poverty. The assumption, which has been validated by 30 years of astounding results--has always been that the poor don’t lack the energy, drive, talent an skills to get out of poverty; rather, they lack the access to capital and other opportunities to do so.  Micro-credit works because it provides the missing link. 

The concept of micro finance has spread around the world, and is now recognized as an essential tool in the fight against poverty.  Roughly 100 million people have received micro-loans to date, demonstrating the far-reaching impacts of providing access to capital to low-income entrepreneurs.

The challenge that We are issuing here is twofold.  First, We are looking at ways of increasing the effectiveness of microfinance and GREEN FUND in Indonesia, and secondly We are eager to look at how to expand microfinance programs such that they also finance environmental projects, such as the installation of mini hydro electrical/power plant for use in remote area or our pilot projects community.  To that end, We have have begun researching the feasibility of creating a microfinance loan fund in Our pilot projects Community,  The goal is to create a program with low operating costs, that can effectively reach low-income residents in our pilot projects community, provide them with business training and access to capital, and work with them to ensure success.  At present we invite you to share and join us in start-up for a pilot phase in January next year or earlier.

We are creating this page because We are a big believer in the open-source, collaborative approach to problem solving, where the ideas of many people are welcomed and debated in a spirit of openness and honesty.  The goal here is to address poverty in a meaningful and systematic way; any ideas, comments or suggestions towards that end are much appreciated. 


Feel free to share with us at darmawanconsulting@gmail.com