The Importance of Micro-Finance

     The term micro-finance refers to small loans and other financial and non-financial services  that enable people to start their own small businesses.  These loans and services have been proven to be an effective and sustainable tool in fighting poverty around the world.  The term was first used by Muhammad Yunus who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work using micro-finance in Bangladesh where he successfully helped one million people become financially independent and freed from poverty.  Micro-finance creates empowerment through the creation and maintenance of  sustainable and independent businesses.

     Micro-finance helps by:

• Offering people who are typically excluded from the traditional banking system access to unique financial and non-financial services
• Provides the training and services that allows people to create sustainable businesses
• Demands these business work within a culture based upon strong ethics and business management

Professor Yunus 

     WomenTeachingWomen (WTW) successfully uses these principles all over the world to help people out of poverty  and achieve the vision of self-empowerment and economic independence.  Working with micro-finance and business experts WTW aims to maintain the economic sustainability of the people they work with as they build up their own ventures to become profitable businesses.  Working with the basic philosophy of  helping people to help themselves, WTW helps to strengthen and enable the poor to become independent and productive members of society.

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