Letter from Kosovo
 

A workshop of centre chiefs of Prizren branch was held on December 4 & 11, 2003. We were able to give them a clear idea about KGMAMF activities and its future. In this workshop we introduced our new branch manager Njomza Kazazi, who has taken over from Abul, who is leaving for home.

My observations about this workshop is that the participants have a positive opinion about KGMAMF and consider it helpful. The workshop adopted following decisions:

  • “We shall maintain our centre discipline all round the year.”
  • “We shall follow all the Project rules .”
  • “We shall continue to help one another.”

We have checked the books of accounts at Prishtina branch. We looked over the vouchers and the books. We found few mistakes and asked the staff to be more carefull in future. They promised that in future they would not make such mistakes.

There was a meeting with the Director of Radio Peje and the Chairman of ANIK. They appreciated our work very much and assured us of their continued co-operation.

From 12th December 2003, we started a staff training program for six field workers. This is the final (1st and last) house of this batch. It will be better if we can arrange skill development programs for field worker, accountants and branch managers. We hope with your co-operation we will be able to organize these training programs within February.

Abdul Hai Khan
Project Director
KGMAMF
December 17, 2003
E-mail: [email protected]
 
Coming Out of the Cold in Turkey

 

We have just started our work in Diyarbakir region of Eastern Turkey. But it is getting very, very cold and temperature is below zero degrees Celsius. Social Solidarity office has supplied to those listed as poor, some coal and firewood for heating. But people in the villages illegally use electric heaters to save themselves from severe cold. It is the usual wintertime phenomenon in Turkey.

Inspite of the hostile weather we have already opened two branches, one at Diyarbakir itself and the other at Bismil.

Until December, 24 centers have been established with 57 groups, comprising 285 borrowers and loans amounting to US$ 74,931 have been disbursed and the borrowers have so far repaid US$ 13,853, without any default.

Another 8 groups are now under training and we hope to have 300 members soon.

Shamsul Alam Khan Chowdhury
Project Director
Turkish Grameen Microcredit Project
Diyarbakir, Turkey
Tel & Fax: 90-412-230080
E-mail: [email protected]
December 23, 2003

 

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A Better Practitioner
 

Greetings from PTF- Tanzania.

I am glad to inform you that I had a safe journey back home.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the attention you had given me to make sure that I had a good stay in Bangladesh.

I appreciate all the efforts you had made to make it easier for me to understand the GGS. By attending GGS training you have made me a better microfinance practitioner and in particular, the Grameen microcredit methodology. The training has enabled me to know the latest developments in Grameen which I believe once adopted by PTF and other MFIs replicating Grameen in Tanzania, will strengthen our programs.

Immaculate Noel Mwaungulu
Operations Coordinator-PTF
Persidential Trust Fund
E-mail: [email protected]
Tanzania
January 10, 2004

 

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Keen to Learn
 

I am 21 years old and recently graduated from York University, England. I am currently taking a gap year before starting a course in chartered accountancy. I am extremely interested in your company and I am writing in order to gain information about work experience or an internship with your organization, when I come to Bangladesh this winter.

Having previously visited for short stays of only two or three weeks, I am keen to stay longer this time and get involved with helping the community. I am willing to do a variety of jobs ranging from admin to manual work, depending upon what is needed. I am currently learning to speak Bangla and hope to attain some proficiency by the time I am due to travel.

I would be extremely grateful if you could send me information on any placement that may be available. In particular I am interested to know

what work I could do while in Bangladesh to help your organization.
what opportunities there are to learn and observe your company’s work with the poor

Shimona Chowdhury
E-mail: [email protected]
August 9, 2003

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GGS, An Added Bonus !
 

Yes, we are truly happy with our new Dangal II program. We are following a combination of the Grameen way and the CARD way. So far, our collection rate has improved tremendously. An added bonus is that because of the GGS component of handling long overdue loans, we have now included a scheme similar to a flexi loan which we called SAGIP loan. We are so happy to note that this system has encouraged long overdue loans to be repaid and our members are now happy and back in their business ventures.

I truly appreciate the opportunity you gave me to learn more about your latest innovation. The new system has made our Program make a complete turn-around for the better.

Ms. Rosal
Executive Director
MDF
Philippines
Email: [email protected]
January 23, 2003

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GOBIERNO DE CHILE

MINISTERIO DE PLANIFICATIÓN Y COOPERACIÓN
 

Dear Professor Yunus

As a result of your visits to Chile in 2001 and 2003, different sectors of our society have reinforced their poverty promotion commitment, through microcredit as a key development system.

The ideas and concepts you proposed in the meetings you held with President Ricardo Lagos as well as a wide range of representative people, including businessmen, congressmen, economists, microfinance institutions executives, young people, and catholic church members, have become a guide and an inspiration source to this process, and a strong microcredit support.

The goals proposed during these years and their achievement, locate Chile among the leading Latin-American countries in the subject, through the development of a system based on the confidence, which recognizes people’s social characteristics, and the allowance of several institutions involved in a competitive and collaborative environment, with direct benefit of micro-entrepreneurs.

We feel that Chilean experience has particular characteristics very useful to share with other Latin American countries, based on our common ethnical roots and similar cultures. According to that, we formally ask for your sponsorship to our application to the next Regional Microcredit Summit to be held in 2005.

On our behalf, we have proposed to Banco Estado, Caja de Compensacion de Los Andes, Fundacion Contigo and Desafio, to join us in this initiative, entrusting the general co-ordination to Desafio.

In the meantime, we keep waiting for your answer in order to begin working in the program origination.

With best regards
Andres Palma Irarrazaval
Planning and Cooperation Minister, Santiago
24th November, 2003

 

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 Editor : Muhammad
Executive Editor : Khalid Shams 
Editorial Assistance :
Nazneen Sultana
Lamiya Morshed 
Editorial Advisory Board: Argentina : Pablo Broder, Buenos Aires     Australia : Shan Ali, Sydney     Chile : Benardo Javalquinto, Santiago     Colombia : Mauricio Fernandez, Bogota     France : Maria Nowak, Paris     Germany : Nancy Wimmer, Munich     Malaysia : David S. Gibbons, Kuala Lumpur     Philippines : Dr. Cecilia D. Del Castillo, Bacolod City     USA : Alexander Counts, Washington DC
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