- Grameen Foundation
Infobox Non-profit
Non-profit_name = Grameen Foundation
Non-profit_
Non-profit_type =501(c)(3)
founded_date =1997
founder =Alex Counts
location =Washington, D.C. , USA
key_people =Alex Counts – President & CEOPaul Maritz – Chair
Muhammad Yunus - Founding Board Member
area_served =Asia ,Africa ,the Americas ,Middle East
focus =Poverty
method =Microfinance
Non-profit_slogan = Empowering people. Changing lives. Innovating for the world's poor.
homepage = [http://www.grameenfoundation.org www.grameenfoundation.org]Grameen Foundation, founded as "Grameen Foundation USA", is a global
501(c)(3) non-profit organization based inWashington DC that works to replicate theGrameen Bank microfinance model around the world through a global network of partnermicrofinance institution s. Its CEO isAlex Counts .It is separate from organizations called Grameen Foundation in different countries, such as Grameen Foundation Australia. [http://www.grameen.org.au/]
History
The Foundation was founded in 1997 as a vehicle to replicate the model of
Grameen Bank beyond the borders ofBangladesh and increase the access of poor people to microfinance by millions worldwide.Muhammad Yunus , the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, sits on the Board of Directors. Current chair of the board isPaul Maritz , founder of Picorp and formerly a senior executive at Microsoft.Approach
Grameen Foundation operates under the mission, "to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information." [http://www.gfusa.org/about_us/]
Reach
As of June 2008, Grameen Foundation works with 55 microfinance institutions reaching 6.8 million clients across 24 countries. In total, the network impacts an estimated 34 million lives in
Asia ,Africa ,the Americas , and theMiddle East . [http://www.grameenfoundation.org/about_us/faqs/#2]In April 2007, the Grameen Foundation and [http://www.alj.com Abdul Lateef Jameel Co.] joint venture was formally established under the name Grameen-Jameel Pan Arab Microfinance Ltd. Known as Grameen-Jameel for short, it serves the Middle East and North Africa region where it represents Grameen Foundation. Grameen-Jameel was headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon until the outbreak of war in summer 2006 prompted a move to Dubai..
Trivia
Voted into the top 25 of world changing ideas in 2007 Members Project by
American Express cardholders.Further reading
*cite book
last=Yunus
first=Muhammad
year=1999
title=Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
location=New York
publisher=PublicAffairs
id=ISBN 1-891620-11-8
* [http://www.gfusa.org/pubdownload/~pubid=29 Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Stock of What We Know] ; Nathanael Goldberg, December 2005.
*Innovate podcast series [http://iinnovate.blogspot.com/2006/11/alex-counts-founder-of-grameen.html interviews Alex Counts, founder and CEO of Grameen Foundation]External links
* [http://www.grameenfoundation.org/ Official site]
* [http://www.grameen-jameel.com Grameen-Jameel Pan Arab Microfinance Ltd.]
* [http://www.grameen.org.au/ Grameen Foundation Australia] , replicating the Grameen Bank model within South East Asia
* [http://allafrica.com/stories/200511281122.html Nokia, Grameen Collaborate for African Villages] "Highway Africa News Agency", November 25, 2005. [http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14836.php]
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