Monthly Archives: January 2010
New Photos
Check out the new photos from my weeklong trip to Capiz province and visit to the La Castellana branch of Negros Women for Tomorrow.
Posted in Travel and Culture
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Mass Weddings for the Poor
The following was written for the Kiva Fellows blog. Read the original here. This job is unique, in that it offers an endless supply of intellectual satisfaction. Every day, I learn something new about something interesting. For the time being, … Continue reading
Posted in Development Economics, Microfinance
Tagged mass weddings, Microfinance, microinsurance
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Hapinoy
Here in the Philippines, the most common use for a microloan is a sari-sari store – otherwise known as a general or convenience store. There are an estimated 700,000 of them here, and you can find one on just about … Continue reading
Baudelaire and the Red Horse
It is the greatest art of the devil to convince us he does not exist. – Charles Baudelaire, 1821-1867 Here in the Philippines, the brewery is called San Miguel. Founded in 1890, the company employs 26,000 people and holds 90% … Continue reading
Posted in Travel and Culture
Tagged beer, Devil Water, Philippines, Red Horse, San Miguel, the Stallion
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Community Loans: Part II
The following was written for the Kiva Fellows blog. See the original here. I spent all last week touring a province in the Philippines with a 7-person team in an effort to gather market intelligence about the region. The purpose … Continue reading
Posted in Microfinance
Tagged agrarian reform, community loans, fishing, Microfinance, microhydro, The Philippines
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Community Loans: Part I
Microfinance is a term to describe the broad umbrella of financial services to people without access to a traditional banking system. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) provide these types of services, which include microcredit, insurance (health, life, crop), savings accounts, remittances, and … Continue reading
Posted in Microfinance
Tagged agrarian reform, community loans, fishing, Microfinance, microhydro, the
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Photo Gallery
I am keeping a photographic record of my trip. Check out the galleries on the sidebar to the right.
Posted in Travel and Culture
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Primer on Mobile Banking
The Philippines is called the “texting capitol of the world.” Everyone has a phone, mostly because they are a) inexpensive (starting at $20 USD), b) offer flexible plans (everything is prepaid), and c) texting makes life easier. SMS messaging is … Continue reading
Another Approach: Investing in SMEs
This is the first in a three-part series about small- and medium-sized enterprises In March of 2008, James Surowiecki wrote an article for the New Yorker, titled “What Microloans Miss,” that suggests that the disproportionate amount of attention given to … Continue reading
