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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development strategies that can pay its own way, that is, can generate enough income to cover its costs.
This workshop will review some of the current impact being made by microenterprise development programs around the world. It will also review the history of the modern microenterprise movement, showing how we have moved from experimental efforts to the place where microenterprise development has begun to revolutionize the banking and finance industries.
But what does all this have to do with the world's religions? A deeper look into the microenterprise movement shows that it has its roots in many of the great religious traditions of the world. In fact, almost all religions which advocate compassion for the poor and preserving the dignity of the individual have longstanding traditions of enterprise development. Combining compassion with dignity means providing means for people to help themselves, to generate their own employment so they are not dependent on anyone.
The workshop will conclude by looking at ways that people of different faiths can work together by using microenterprise development as a common tool in the fight to eradicate poverty. Larry Reed has worked with the Opportunity International Network (OIN) since 1984 and for the last two years has served as managing director. OIN is a membership organization of the microenterprise organizations in over 30 countries. He has been the Director of Venture Investments, Founder and Director of Africa Regional Office in Zimbabwe from 1991-1996, and vice president of Programs for OIN-US. He holds a MA in Public Policy from JFK School of Government at Harvard and a BA in Social Sciences and Biblical Studies from Wheaton College.
2:00 PM 3:30 PM
Impact of Macro-economic Environment on Microcredit Dr. Theresa Moyo, University of Zimbabwe
This workshop will involve a lecture, followed by discussions. The presentation will discuss the impact of high interest rates, inflation, currency depreciation, and regulatory instruments, among others, on the capacity of microcredit to meet the needs of the poor.
SYMPOSIA
Dr. Theresa Moyo is a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Zimbabwe. She is a Board member of Zambuko Trust, a leading microcredit institution in Zimbabwe that currently reaches over 18,000 clients. She is also an appointed board member of the Agricultural Finance Corporation, the biggest agricultural organization in the country.
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3:30 PM 5:00 PM
The Microcredit Summit Campaign: A vehicle for fulfilling religious communities' commitment to the eradication of poverty
Mr. Larry Reed
Managing Director, Opportunity International Network Within the context of the symposium on microcredit, this session will give participants an understanding of the Microcredit Summit Campaign's history, its goals, its core themes, and how religious institutions can take an active role in helping to ensure that 100 million of the world's poorest families, especially the women of those families, receive credit for self-employment and other financial and business services by the year 2005.
Larry Reed has worked with the Opportunity International Network (OIN) since 1984 and for the last two years has served as managing director. OIN is a membership organization of the microenterprise organizations in over 30 countries. He has been the Director of Venture Investments, Founder and Director of Africa Regional Office in Zimbabwe from 1991-1996, and vice president of Programs for OIN-US. He holds a MA in Public Policy from JFK School of Government at Harvard and a BA in Social Sciences and Biblical Studies from Wheaton College.