What's Happening
The Southern Africa Regional Microcredit Summit will be held September 22-25, 1998 in Lusaka, Zambia. The region’s target is to reach at least 12 million of their poorest families, especially the women of those families, with credit for self-employment and other financial and business services by the year 2005. Ambassador Gwendoline Konie is serving as summit chairperson, and the secretariat is housed at the Opportunity Centre in Lusaka. For more information, contact the Opportunity Centre, fax: 260 1 238 402; E-mail: sarms@zamnet.zm.
The Coalition for Microfinance Standards held a national Summit in Manila, Philippines August 20-21, 1998. The objective of the summit was to promote better understanding and adoption of performance standards for microfinance NGOs. Summit organizers reiterated its commitment to reach millions of poor households in the Philippines through its continued support of the Microcredit Summit. For further information please contact the Coalition for Microfinance Standards Secretariat by fax: 63 2 633 5904, or E-mail: microfi@pworld.net.ph.
Post-Meeting of Councils Events: Delegates to the Meeting of Councils have begun to organize follow-up events to educate those who did not attend the meeting. Reports of meetings recently held, or soon to be held, have come in from the Bridge Foundation in Bangalore, India; Loyola College in Madras, India; Appui au Dévelopement Autonome (ADA), Luxembourg; Federación de Fundaciones de la Costa Caribe Colombiana para la Microempresa in Barranquilla, Colombia; and RESULTS Australia and AusAID in Australia.
The Microcredit Summit Secretariat has moved. Our new address is 440 First St. NW, Suite 460, Washington, D.C. 20001, USA; phone: 1 202 637 9600; fax: 1 202 637 3566.
The 1999 Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire at the end of June. As with this year's meeting, the 1999 Meeting of Councils will immediately follow the annual CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest) meeting, hosted in 1999 by the African Development Bank. Registration materials will be sent to all Council members by December 1998.
The Parliament of the World Religions, scheduled for December 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa, will include a three-day symposium on microcredit. This effort to bring religious and microcredit leaders together will be launched with a microcredit symposium for interfaith leaders at the University of Chicago on December 5, 1998. For more information, contact Susy Cheston at fax: 1 630 545 1458 or E-mail: wof@opportunity.org.
Women grassroots leaders with disabilities from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America gathered in Eugene, Oregon, USA, August 29-September 8, 1998 for the first International Symposium on Microcredit for Women with Disabilities, organized by Mobility International, USA (MIUSA). The Symposium explored ways that microcredit programs could serve very poor disabled women, and strategized how NGOs active in disability issues could become involved in microcredit. Together with microcredit and disability experts, delegates developed plans of action and pilot projects to be undertaken in their home countries. Microcredit Summit Deputy Director Ayala Sherbow spent three days participating in the symposium. For more information, contact MIUSA at phone (voice/TDD): 1 541 343 1284, fax: 1 541 343 6812, or E-mail: info@miusa.org.
3
Updated Institutional Action Plan Summary forms are now available and are being mailed to all Microcredit Summit Council members. Current Council members are asked to submit their Institutional Action Plan Summaries by March 1, 1999. New Council members are asked to submit their Institutional Action Plan Summaries within one year of joining their Council.
