Our Blog

Upcoming Webinar: Small Changes for Big Growth: A guide to improve mobile financial services for the poor

Friday, March 7, 2014 - 08:28

Please join us for an uncoming webinar! Small Changes for Big Growth: A guide to improve mobile financial services for the poor Thursday, March 13, 2014 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT RSVP HERE. Space is limited. Grameen Foundation lead research in three countries (Uganda, India and the Philippines) to understand how mobile phone technology and its usability are impacting poor customer’s ability to access and benefit from mobile financial services.  Many players assume that if a poor person owns a mobile phone, they are able to use it. We believe that this is a faulty assumption, and believe that... Read More

Volunteer and Fellowship Opportunities- March 4th, 2014!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - 09:30

Branding and Marketing Advisor at Truelift Start Date: March 28th, 2014 Estimated Hours: Medium Term (101-500 hours) Region: United States Application Deadline:  March 14th, 2014 Description: If you are a brand and marketing guru, you may consider becoming a pro bono advisor to an organization that provides cutting edge learning and sharing of best practices to those living in poverty. You will help develop and implement a comprehensive organization-wide marketing plan that allows the organization to differentiate itself and create the strategic direction that will then guide the organization... Read More

Upcoming Webinars! Please join us for a live "Meet the Fellows" Q&A

Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - 08:31

Do you want to know what a Grameen Foundation Fellowship is really like? Join us for a live "Meet the Fellows" Q&A session!  During the "Meet the Fellows" sessions we will live stream our fellows speaking about their experiences so far and taking questions submitted by interested candidates, like you. Below is the schedule for the sessions: Wednesday, Feb 26 at 9am (EDT)- Meet GF Fellows Jason Loughnane and Hailey Hu. Jason is our Capital Markets Financial Analyst for Africa Impact Investing Fellow based in Kenya. Hailey is our Mobile for Development Strategy Fellow based in Uganda. Weren... Read More

GF Fellow Jason Loughnane: Cross-Pollination is Sweet in Kibera

Thursday, February 20, 2014 - 09:32

Since arriving in early September for my GF Fellowship in Nairobi, I've been volunteering on weekends through a youth tutoring program called ROCK (Reaching Out with Compassion in Kibera). Last Sunday, my professional and personal worlds collided deliciously when the students at ROCK were treated to a presentation and taste test by the good folks at Honey Care Africa, a Grameen Foundation partner and Pioneer Fund portfolio company.    Kibera is a massive slum on the southern fringe of Nairobi, with a population estimated between 500,000 and 2 million people. It is overwhelmingly large and... Read More

GF Fellow Laura Burns: Back in the Action

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 08:15

I was bouncing around on the back of a moto, mud splashing my legs, racing around mountain bends, admiring the breathtaking views of green mountains stacked upon green mountains, the coffee fields creating maze-like designs on the mountain landscape, when I looked back at Miguel, our Field Deployment and Support Specialist, a huge smile on my face. This was one of the reasons I came back to Colombia after everything that had happened. Miguel and I were crisscrossing the Colombian Coffee Triangle, kicking off our Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) Program with one of our partners, COOCAFISA, a... Read More

What We’ve Been Reading: February 14th, 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014 - 10:51

Good news prevails this week on What We’ve Been Reading! Ethiopia’s latest data on its GDP and economic growth are incredibly promising for the future of the country. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Ethiopian economy grew by an impressive 7.5%, which is greater than the average growth of sub-Saharan African economies of 4.9%. In fact, the 7.5% growth in Ethiopia is considered a weak performance for the country, since World Bank data indicates that economic growth has been consistently increasing at 10.6% in the last decade. Often used as an example of a country with debilitating poverty,... Read More

Volunteer Opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and the US!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - 09:50

Some great organizations are looking for volunteers for their programs, including Grameen-Jameel, Al Amal Bank, and Pearl S. Buck International! If you are interested in volunteering remotely for a foundation in the United Arab Emirates or onsite at a bank in Yemen, be sure to read more about these projects and apply! HR Expert at Grameen-Jameel (United Arab Emirates) Start Date: March 16th, 2014 Region: United Arab Emirates Estimated Hours: Medium Term (101-500 hours) Description: If you are an HR Expert and interested in volunteering your skills the team at Grameen-Jameel is looking for a... Read More

GF Fellow Howard Sherman: On The Way To Work

Friday, February 7, 2014 - 16:00

To gauge how fast Nairobi, Kenya is growing I could look up at the glass and steel rising to fill the empty spaces in its skyline but I spend more of my time looking down at my feet.  I've only been in Kenya's capital city for a little more than a month yet the dusty dirt paths I take on my 20-minute walk to Grameen's Ngong Road office are being transformed into sparkling, sculpted concrete sidewalks seemingly overnight. This expansion is a mixed blessing for at least one of the shoeshine stands that line this major Nairobi thoroughfare - or so the gentleman trying to revive my dirt-covered ... Read More

What We’ve Been Reading: February 7th, 2014

Friday, February 7, 2014 - 09:39

                February 2nd-8th is International Development Week in Canada! To celebrate the efforts of the Canadian government and private organizations to fight global poverty, various media stations and websites based in Canada are highlighting some of the work they have done in the last few years. One of these articles is by the Senior Program Officer of Farm Radio International, Mark Leclair, who talks about the role of participation and entertainment in international development. Just like how we remember the classes in school that were the most active, engaging and fun, people in... Read More

GF Fellow Laura Burns: Jumping Right In- Tech Trainings

Thursday, February 6, 2014 - 16:26

When I wasn’t battling Dengue Fever (very appropriately nicknamed “Breakbone Fever”) or escaping from a collapsing apartment, I jumped right into the deep end at work. I’m lucky to be joining the Latin America office at a time when a host of projects benefitting smallholder farmers are starting. Our project partners span from government agencies to cooperatives and agricultural organizations. GF LAC kicks off every project with a series of training days. For my first training, we were working with a variety of partners interested in food security to train them on our mobile technology system... Read More