Posted by Dario Meli
* This blog post is part of Invoke’s participation in the 2008 Vancouver Blogathon for Charity

5. It isn’t a handout (lender) - From a lender’s perspective microfinance is excellent because you get to directly effect somebody’s effort to better their lives. And once you have aided in bettering the community you get your money back so you can do it all over again! With just $25 you can continually lend to new, enterprising individuals. This is seriously rewarding. Start now.

4. It isn’t a handout (recipient) - People who work hard and earn the things they have are more responsible with them than those who simply receive a handout. This is not a new concept. Having a sense of empowerment and control over your destiny is an exceptional motivator.

3. Women - An overwhelming number (97%) of participants/recipients in global microfinance are women. This suggests microfinance helps to correct discrimination in capital markets.

2. Loan repayment rates - According to kiva.org’s records the loan repayment rate is 98.3% (default rate: 1.7%). Grameen Bank’s default rate is 2%. This is far superior when compared against the 60-90% default rates in some of the same region’s commercial sectors. It also bests default rates in the United States which is approximately 4%.

1. Anybody can participate - It has never been easier for average individuals to make a difference. Take 4 minutes to setup a Kiva account now and change the world!

5 Reasons Microfinance Is Excellent

Posted by Dario Meli
* This blog post is p

For the blogathon Invoke chose to work with a global partner, Plan Canada, to receive the fruits of our fundraising efforts. This is primarily due to the fact that i can largely control where the money actually goes and get the opportunity to see first hand the impact it has because, as a Trustee of Lochmaddy Foundation, we work closely with Plan.

Posted by Dario Meli

* This blog post is part of Invoke’s participation in the 2008 Vancouver Blogathon for Charity

Earlier this year both David Tedman and I were asked to be trustees of a foundation focusing on laying the groundwork for sustainable economic development, primarily in Mali. This was an opportunity to help guide dollars and offer leadership to regions in need of economic empowerment.

The Lochmaddy Foundation’s philosophy is simple:

Focus on economic development - Once a community has economic options and self sufficiency it is able to take care of its own. The foundations of economic sustainability do require medicine, education and solid, responsible leadership and we integrate each of those into the mix when creating a plan for the community.

Lochmaddy Foundation Philosophy

Posted by Dario Meli

* This blog post is par

Given that this blogathon is in the spirit of charity I would like to take a minute to profile some of the other work we’ve done. We absolutely love making these kinds of contributions and are extremely proud of what we’ve been able to do. Here are some details on who we work with and what we’ve done with them:

Earlier this year, while hanging out with the CTO of Kiva.org, I was introduced to Shawn Smith who runs Global Agents for Change. At first I wasn’t drawn to what they were doing because it sounded a bit odd: ride bicycles from Vancouver to Tiajuana in an effort to raise awareness and money.

Once we got to talking, I realized that this is actually something much more than a bike ride. It is a massively empowering organization, and it also has a dynamic, driven leader in Shawn.