Another Article About Microloans / Barbecue

Here’s another article about microloans.  It will probably be most of interest to Kaoru (but everyone should feel free to read it!).

Also, I’m sorry, but after talking with my wife I realized that we are both just too busy to do a barbecue in July.  I hope I can have you all out during Fall term.

–Cozy

The article for June 24

this is Mami, and here is the article for the next class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/world/japan-has-little-time-for-its-old-time-religion.html?scp=17&sq=japan%20religion&st=cse

I am sooo sorry for posting it late…

Thank you.

                                                            Mami

Articles on Microfinance (Microcredit)

Here’s a link to several articles about microfinance.  As I mentioned today, microfinance is a system which lends very small amounts of money to women entrepeneurs so they can start businesses.  Maybe this is the solution to some of the problems we have discussed concerning aid?

This is from the wikipedia article on microcredit (another word for microfinance):

Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit. Microcredit is a part of microfinance, which is the provision of a wider range of financial services to the very poor.

Microcredit is a financial innovation that is generally considered to have originated with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.^[1] In that country, it has successfully enabled extremely impoverished people to engage in self-employment projects that allow them to generate an income and, in many cases, begin to build wealth and exit poverty. Due to the success of microcredit, many in the traditional banking industry have begun to realize that these microcredit borrowers should more correctly be categorized as pre-bankable; thus, microcredit is increasingly gaining credibility in the mainstream finance industry, and many traditional large finance organizations are contemplating microcredit projects as a source of future growth, even though almost everyone in larger development organizations discounted the likelihood of success of microcredit when it was begun. The United Nations declared 2005 the International Year of Microcredit.

There’s probably an article at the Japanese wikipedia too.

–Cozy

Zemi Picture, 7/08, At the Pond

This is to remind everyone that we will be taking our zemi picture on July 8.  We will meet at 12:15 at the pond.  The photographer will have lots of other groups to photograph, so please don’t be late.

Kaoru’s Article

Thanks for posting your article, Kaoru. Everyone please remember to print it out, read it, and bring it to zemi.

And here’s another article about aid that Kaoru (and also Noriko) might be interested in.

Cozy

Article for June 17th

I am sorry that it is being late to put an article for next class.

Please read this article…

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080523f2.html

 

Kaoru

Schedule for “Your Article” Revised Again

Here’s the updated scheduel for when we will be talking about your article:

6/10: Mika

6/17: Kaoru

6/24: Mami

7/01: Noriko

Please read Mika’s article for Wednesday, June 10, and please think about what article you want us to discuss when it’s your turn.

–Cozy

Mika’s Article

Everyone please read Mika’s article by the 10th, and also print it out and bring it zemi.

I’m off to Boshu tomorrow . . . .

Cozy