I’m not tired yet, but I have the feeling in my gut that I will be, and frighteningly so, before this day is over. I slept through nearly the entire CA to NY flight after having stayed up last night packing. Time is so strange right now. Today is actually tomorrow, last night seems really recent… too hard to think about right now on 5 hours sleep. I’m on the plane right now, killing time.
I was reading through the packet of articles provided to us, and a few really stuck out to me. The first was a packet discussing the impacts of clean water access for the straight-forward reason that I hadn’t realized how much affect it had on developing communities (not to mention how much water developing communities consume), and how the lack of it can be crippling. For example, there is the raw fact that a child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease.
The other articles that caught my eye were an FAQ about microfinance, an column criticizing it, and a letter to the editor rebutting the column. Each of the three opened a microfinance a little more. The first introduced me ot the finer details of microfinance, such as that it doesn’t just refer to loans, but to insurance, saving accounts, and other financial tools. It also showed why microfinance works and why sometimes it doesn’t. The column elaborated on the second concept, pointing out that it is such a small scale and aimed only at creating one person businesses that don’t create jobs and thus produced little impact. Then I read the rebuttal, which pointed out that the system was not just designed to produce income, but to also empower the poor, especially women. I agreed with both. Microfinance has its function, but not enough attention is paid to medium-sized businesses which can create jobs.
The common denominator between these three microfinance articles was that they showed facets of microfinance not portrayed by mainstream media. Admittedly, microfinance is very hyped, though not without reason. But the problem is that its shown as a miracle tool. But microfinance, like any other tools, needs to be used with care and only where it will function properly. Idealism is a driving force, but blind idealism can get in the way more than it helps.
That’s it for now. My next entry will be from
