When my wife and I made the decision to move our family to a country with a high poverty level, we did so with little insight into the complicated lives of those in poverty. I believed that people living in underdeveloped economies had a lack of expertise or talent. As we were preparing to […]

Chances are, no matter where you are, you are very close to some form of microenterprise. In the U.S., microenterprises are home based businesses and services. Millions of people support their families or supplement their income operating these types of businesses. In countries around the globe, microenterprises operate from vibrant booths in street markets,  from […]

I hesitate to overgeneralize by listing some of the most typical microenterprise projects we see through BGR, but I do want to list a few of the most common ones. I don’t do this to give you an exhaustive list of every possibility but to illustrate what we’ve been talking about these past few blogs […]

A few months back, I had the privilege of visiting a great community development project in Asia. Located in a spiritually and physically dark area, the local partners there were using a microfinance and enterprise strategy to engage the communities. They strategically chose to facilitate the formation of small self help groups (SHGs) that were […]

To start most microenterprises, some capital investment is needed. Those with a good line of credit or with assets to serve as collateral can apply for and receive a loan from a local bank or lending institution. In most cases, this is not an option for the poorest of the poor. They don’t have the […]

So, which is it? Microenterprise or microfinance? The concepts are interrelated. In some places, they are almost interchangeable. Microenterprise usually refers to the “enterprise” that results from an economic activity to support the implementing person(s). Think small business. In most cases, think very, very, small business. While there are a few Fortune 500 companies in […]

You have probably heard the term “microenterprise” if you’ve worked in relief or development for very long. It is one of those catch-all terms that has a standard definition but means something a little different depending upon the culture and context in which it is used. It also has different definitions and applications in the […]