Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

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1 9 9 9 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD S RELIGIONS PARLIAMENT SYMPOSIA
Specific actions we desire the Religious leaders to undertake: At the Parliament: . Endorsement of microcredit as a gift of services to humanity . All sign a call to action to the World Bank and world
governments to support poverty redemption and community
transformation through MED After the Parliament: . Advocacy within their religious communities by passing a resolution supporting microcredit Awareness building by including a session/symposium on microcredit during a new conference in 2000 . Funding through their denominational structures . Endorsement of funding on the part of individuals and
churches/religious institutions • Support for regulatory reform in their countries to provide the
legal protection for microcredit organizations . Publicity of the call to action to the World Bank and world
governments
This symposium will take place at the University of Cape Town, Leslie Building, Room 3 B on Saturday, December 4. The Microcredit Symposium will consist of the following four presentations:
MICROCREDIT:
A Way for Religious and Spiritual Communities to Eradicate Poverty This symposium is sponsored by the Institute for World Spirituality, which was founded by an interreligious group concerned about the spirit of intolerance, competitiveness and prejudice which too often dominates relationships among the world's religious communities. Since 1987, the IWS has held annual faith retreats and sponsored events at the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions, sponsored a series of books on Jungian psychology and spirituality, and compiled data for an international directory of religions. In 1996, resources were acquired for expanding its programs. The following Brochure highlights these expanding programs of the Institute. The IWS is grounded in the belief that religious and spiritual dimensions of life are essential for healthy communities and individuals. Tribalisms and special interests separate us and too often lead to alienation, conflict, and violence. Thee must be overcome if we are to meet the challenges of the future. Courses of action focused on specific issues are needed to solve the systematic problems facing us. We envision living partnerships among religious and spiritual communities and civic organizations around specific strategies for solving particular problems. A more just and compassionate future for our planet will only be secured by creating international communities committed to cooperative action. To that end, the Strategy of the IWS is to provide tools and models for transformation, to gather people together, and to provide ways to encourage and facilitate partnerships. Microcredit is based upon the idea that with small loans and access to various financial services, it is possible to create expand small businesses. Investments made through microcredit services result in amazing returns. Microentrepeneurs not only move themselves beyond poverty. they also improve the lives of family members while strengthening their communities. The Microcredit Symposium will educate Parliament attendees about microenterprise development and encourage them to get involved through their religious, spiritual, and civic communities. The Micro credit Symposium is inspired by the concept of gifts of service to humanity in the recognition that one of the greatest gifts we can offer is the alleviation of chronic poverty in the world. The purpose of the Micro-credit Symposium is to educate religious cornmunities about micro-enterprise development and to encourage them to get involved through funding, advocacy, and encouragement of their constituencies as potential clients and resources. We believe religious communities can play a vital role in shaping the microenterprise development movement by ensuring that the highest values of personal and community transformation are realized. Currently, the field of MED is focused on financial efficiency. Religious communities could play a significant role in advocating for an approach to MED that includes not only financial indicators of success, but also personal and community transformation. These indicators are also needed to ensure that the focus remains on the extremely poor. The purpose of the Microcredit Symposium is therefore to educate religious communities about microenterprise development and to encourage them to get involved through funding, advocacy, and encouragement of their constituencies as potential clients and resources.
10:00 AM - 11:30 PM Microcredit, Transformation and the Role of Religious Organizations Dr. Makonen Getu Deputy Regional Director, Opportunity International The workshop will involve lecture, followed by discussions. Utilizing case studies, this workshop will analyze and discuss the following: 1. the dynamics and essentials of microcredit 2. its role in alleviating poverty and transforming the lives of the poor in the 2nd/3rd world 3. the meaning and indicators of transformational development 4. the challenges and constraints faced by microcredit institutions 5. strategic recommendations for guiding the future 6. the role to be played by religious organizations in responding to the needs of the poor and those who serve the poor through microcredit. Dr. Makonen Getu is currently Deputy Regional Director of the Opportunity International Africa Office. He has worked for about 20 years in the field of development in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia and Zimbabwe with such organizations as UNDP, SIDA and World Vision. He has also served as a lecturer in development economics at the University of Stockholm.
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Microenterprise Development: Where Dignity and Compassion Meet Mr. Larry Reed Managing Director, Opportunity International Network Across the globe people of many faiths are uniting behind a common approach to alleviating poverty. This approach, called microenterprise development, provides loans and business training to those who have been shut out by the prevailing market system. It allows people in need to provide for themselves and their families. It is also one of the few
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