Comments from the microfinance gallery

I GUESS the subject of microfinance is really one that is dear to the hearts and minds of many people who would like to help in the uplifting of countrymen who do not have the normal avenues of access to credit or funding facilities. As a matter of fact, except for company-sponsored foundations, many of the other foundations and NGOs essentially live on a hand-to-mouth basis. Many would like to do much more but are constrained by a lack of the assets needed, namely cold cash. Many of the comments to my initial blog post on microfinance were very helpful indeed. First of all, allow me to state for the record that I have been absent from direct involvement in the NGO field for some time now, and would really welcome any inputs from anyone out there who would like to advance a point or highlight the activities of an NGO or similar group. I have an e-mail address that you can write me to: jmajf at hotmail dot com. The helpful comment by Mr. Louis Laudencia about the establishment of Alon sa Hirap by his colleague, Dr. Octavio, in College, Laguna puts a perspective on when microfinance first got started locally. ASHI has grown internally -- I think -- all these years and now has an extensive membership, branch network, and substantial asset base. The NGO was set up with help from Dr. Yunus no less. In fact, my own impression is that Dr. Yunus is a very helpful and unselfish person, one who never hesitates to share his own experience and knowledge. His one advice to us then was not to copy his model lock, stock, and barrel, but to adopt only those aspects that would apply to the local scene. On the other hand, I will definitely have to get in touch with several of my friends in the business. So, here is a warning shot to these friends to expect a call from me one of these days. One of them commented, and this is Ted Lineses who has set up MABS (Microenterprise Approach to Banking Services). We definitely have to get together. First, to increase my fund of knowledge and, second, to see how we can help those people who wrote in requesting leads on how to set up microenterprise units in their respective locations. So many things to do… and the work in the microenterprise field has just really scratched the surface given the number of Filipinos who would like to engage in meaningful livelihoods.