To borrow the phrase of one television network in their 30-seconder spot, I love Fiji because… Fijians are welcoming and friendly. Fijians have always a ready smile – you look at their eyes and they respond with a friendly look, a flash of white teeth and Bula! It’s always the same wherever I go – in the bus, on the road, and especially in the centres when I...

Imagine if every time you went to cook a simple meal, the entire room filled with smoke, the pots went black with soot, and ash hung in the air for hours afterwards, making it difficult to breathe and aggravating your children’s asthma.   For Laxmi Gurung, this was her reality. Not only was it difficult to breathe while the stove was on, but it was also...

I recently spent a week in Cambodia with two colleagues conducting a review of our microfinance institution partner, TPC (Thaneakea Phum Campbodia).  The review was of TPC’s approach to meeting new standards of Client Protection Principles (CPP). CPP is the new ‘big thing’ in microfinance, and is being driven by the Smart Campaign.    Good...

In the world of international development, change tends to take time. Many individual microfinance borrowers have stories about how their lives have changed, but achieving tangible and visible changes in living standards in a community can be slow going, and microfinance is just one of many contributors to that process. Basic infrastructure (such as roads, water and...

In our line of work, there are often discussions around the real benefits of microfinance for low-income households. And it's true that in some parts of the world, microfinance has questionable outcomes. But when you're facing the beneficiaries of microfinance services and listening to their stories, doubts about the benefits of microfinance completely...

You may have seen the lovely face of Apsara on many of our Christmas communications and graphics. We thought it was about time to share her story! Read the whole article for a video at the end… Apsara (34) of Nepal is the mother of two. Her husband, Ramesh, is a teacher at the local high school. They are financially secure, and have a comfortable home which...