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> Posted by Steven Werlin
[The following post is Pt. II of a two-part series. In this post, Steven Werlin explains what his organization, Fonkoze, is trying to accomplish through group microfinance. The first part, by Beth Rhyne, appeared on November 17, 2011.]
It is easy to imagine solidarity-group microcredit as a method that both minimizes the costs an MFI faces in making its loans and protects the institution from risk. It’s easy to imagine both those things, because they are both true.
Using groups to makes loans means that the loans can be delivered and reimbursements collected at central locations without the borrowers’ having to come in to a branch. The borrowers save much of the direct transportation cost they would otherwise be stuck with if they live far from a branch, and the branch saves mileage because its loan officer doesn’t have to find each borrower individually. Borrowers and loan officers meet halfway, in a credit center.
The group also significantly reduces the lender’s risk. Group members can be held responsible for one another’s delinquent payments. Their need to vouch for one another means they are likely to choose fellow-members carefully, selecting friends whom they believe to be good risks. And making members agree on the size of each loan can protect against the over-indebtedness responsible for many write-offs. Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Alex Counts finds himself reflecting on patriarchy in the latest post on his blog, where he chronicles writing a book about Haitian microfinance pioneer Fonkoze.
I sense that part of what feels liberating to work as a woman in Fonkoze is not getting ones strengths “stripped out” and seeing one’s ability to contribute “dry up” as often happens in patriarchal (i.e., “normal”) organizations. (At the same time, I have been wondering how my own organization, Grameen Foundation, and others that I am associated with score on this spectrum, and on the experiences of women staff at all levels.)
Counts, the CEO of Grameen Foundation, notes Fonkoze’s “culture rooted in strong female leadership.”
Counts, who was interviewed for the Center’s “Microfinance Matters” series, joined other friends of Grameen Bank to set up Grameen Foundation in 1997. During his recent trips to Haiti, he has been meeting with microfinance industry leaders in general, and in particular with Fonkoze staff.
“Insights from ‘The Female Vision’ for Fonkoze and Microfinance,” his most recent post, begins:
Despite my busy fall schedule working as CEO for Grameen Foundation, the book on Fonkoze is advancing in exciting ways. I’ve written a draft of the first chapter and gotten helpful feedback from my writing guru Mark Levy. I’ve talked to Jessica Papin, the woman who is likely to be my agent, and she had some great feedback on the overall project.
One of Jessica’s recommendations is that for the book to have the best chance of success, Fonkoze needs to become better known prior to publication. So, she suggested that I first write a 10-15,000 word “long form article” for publication in something like Harpers or the New York Times magazine. (This could push back publication of the book by a year while giving me more time to do research next summer.) On first blush, I think this sequenced approach is a great idea and most of all, I like the energy and ideas she brings to the project. It’s exciting to see the team of people who believe in this book and are helping it succeed grow each and every month!
One of the most important and enjoyable parts of writing a book is reading other books whose content and/or approach is helpful. I recently finished The Female Vision by Sally Helgesen and Julie Johnson after someone who read my earlier blog on Fonkoze as matriarchy. Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
“Why write a book on Fonkoze when there are so many outstanding microfinance institutions in the world?”
Alex Counts poses that question to himself on the blog where he narrates his Fonkoze book project. It’s a query someone might naturally make, Counts says, upon learning that he is chronicling the work of the Haitian MFI.
Counts, the CEO of Grameen Foundation, sketches out a number of answers to the question based on his recent travels around Haiti. There, he’s been meeting with microfinance industry leaders, and in particular with Fonkoze’s stalwarts and trailblazers.
Counts, who was interviewed for the Center’s “Microfinance Matters” series, joined with other friends of Grameen Bank to set up Grameen Foundation in 1997.
His recent post “Microfinance, Short-Cuts, and Fonkoze” begins:
A natural question people in or close to the microfinance movement could ask me is, “Why write a book on Fonkoze when there are so many outstanding microfinance institutions in the world?” There are many plausible answers.
It is operating, with considerable success, in a so-called “failed state” and working with very poor people – at a time when many question whether microfinance can be effective in either context, let alone both. Furthermore, it is populated by some fascinating people and its history is punctuated by dramatic events. And as noted in an earlier post, it is a women-led organization in a sense that goes far beyond who the CEO is, and extends to who occupies the vast majority of leadership posts and, not unrelated, who defines the cultural norms. Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Fonkoze clients dance between workshop sessions.
“What surprised me most?”
That’s the question Alex Counts asks himself about Fonkoze in his latest blog post on the Haitian MFI. The posts chronicle a larger project to complete a book about Fonkoze’s trailblazing, past and present.
Counts, the CEO of Grameen Foundation, has been traveling Haiti to talk with microfinance industry leaders in general and Fonkoze’s pioneers in particular.
Earlier this year, Counts was interviewed for the Center’s “Microfinance Matters” series. That interview looks at his roots in the industry, from the time he joined with other friends of Grameen Bank to set up Grameen Foundation in 1997.
His recent post “‘Our’ Earthquake & Eleven Surprises” touches on the recent earthquake that rattled nerves (but little more) on the United States’ East Coast. But the primary focus is on what has surprised him most about Fonkoze. Here are a few points he mentions in his post:
- Anne Hastings’ fearlessness.
- How happenings that would otherwise not be noteworthy can be catalysts in a crisis that jolt people to action.
- The very distinct karma in an organization where most of the senior staff are women.
- The new relevance of some so-called “old ideas” (about fighting global poverty) in the context of Fonkoze. Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Alex Counts meets two Haitian entrepreneurs.
Just what qualities make someone a “Madame Sara”?
The answer to that question lies in Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts’ ongoing blogging for his upcoming book about Fonkoze. As Counts travels Haiti, conversing with the country’s microfinance industry leaders in general and Fonkoze’s pioneers in particular, he often finds insights – and vocabulary – that might surprise outsiders.
Counts, who was interviewed for our “Microfinance Matters” series, joined with other friends of Grameen Bank to set up Grameen Foundation in 1997.
His recent post “Fonkoze and Madame Saras” analyzes how Fonkoze is attempting to turn post-earthquake conditions into opportunities for people determined to rebuild their lives:
Last fall I heard for the first time a term for a new type of Fonkoze client that almost made me giggle – “Madam Saras”. It turned out to be Fonkoze at its opportunistic best – responding in an entrepreneurial way to three developments:
- its excess liquidity (i.e., more savings deposits, on which it pays a nominal rate of interest, than it has in microloans outstanding),
- the problems its poor women vendor clients were having getting merchandise because the wholesalers they bought from were not able to import enough after the earthquake, and
- many of the wholesalers were savvy businesswomen (known in Haiti as “Madam Saras” which refers to birds that make a lot of noise and always move in flocks) who had lost inventory in the earthquake and had their credit lines reduced or cancelled by the mainstream banks. Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Iliamene Joseph Madam Jean Marc (left) and Linda Boucard.
Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts’ book on Fonkoze continues to take shape. He is blogging his journey through Haiti’s landscape, taking notes on the thoughts and memories of many leaders of the country’s microfinance industry.
Counts, whose work is outlined in an interview for our “Microfinance Matters” series, worked with other Grameen Bank allies to set up Grameen Foundation in 1997.
His most recent post, “An Avalanche of Material (Including Repressed Memories),” finds him talking to more leaders:
I have learned so much about Fonkoze‘s journey over the last three days that I hardly know where to start with this blog.
On Wednesday, I returned to Marigot and re-interviewed Iliamene with the assistance of Linda Boucard (who continued the interview while I had to take a call about my “day job” with Grameen Foundation that I formally remain on sabbatical from until August 1). I learned a lot more about her toughness, her humble origins, and shuffling between households in Marigot and Port-au-Prince before settling into a productive life as a wife, mother, community leader and entrepreneur. (She became even more productive after joining Fonkoze.) But due to a series of miscommunications, we had less time with her than we otherwise could have. Thankfully, Linda agreed to return in the weeks ahead to go deeper, since her story has real depth and complements Mariyn Bayonet’s tale well.
Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Fonkoze’s founder, Father Joseph Philippe.
Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts is writing a book about Fonkoze. In the process, he’s been blogging his way across Haiti’s landscape, speaking with some of the leading lights of the country’s microfinance industry.
Counts, who we interviewed for our “Microfinance Matters” series, joined other friends of Grameen Bank to establish Grameen Foundation in 1997.
His most recent post, “Ten Memories,” finds him mulling highlights of what he’s learned and observed, and interviewing the founder of Fonkoze, Father Joseph Philippe:
As I wrap up my first trip (of two) to Haiti this summer (and my fifth since 2006), and deal with information overload, I thought it would be good to boil down my experience to ten reflections, and then close with a two minute video of Father Joseph that builds on two of them.
1. My early – and, as it turned out, too hopeful — observation in this blog that the post-earthquake rebuilding in Port au Prince was going on better than portrayed in the media seems naive now that I have spent more time in the capital. While there are tiny pockets of rubble clearing and even rebuilding, for the most part one still sees collapsed buildings, big piles of rubble, and little if any effort to address these issues. (One wonders whether that will be the case in even five or ten years!) Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Center Staff
Alex Counts, president and CEO of Grameen Foundation, speaks with community members in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
We’re excited to learn that Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts is writing a book about Fonkoze, the leading microfinance institution in Haiti.
Counts, who we interviewed for our “Microfinance Matters” series, joined other friends of Grameen Bank to establish Grameen Foundation in 1997.
Counts is taking readers to the core of his writing process through a blog that tracks his research and observations. He describes what he’s uncovering as a story of “resilience, solidarity and triumph.”
Today’s post, “Re-discovering Fonkoze — An Organization on the Move … And, Emerging Themes,” finds him recounting his first hours on the ground:
I am not new to Fonkoze, but even so, during my first 26 hours in the country I learned a lot. Part of this is because it is impossible to understand everything about a complex institution, and also because things are always in flux at this most entrepreneurial of organizations.
Read the rest of this entry »
> Posted by Beth Rhyne
This week I had the pleasure of attending a fundraiser for Fonkoze, the largest microfinance institution in Haiti, to mark the anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. What I saw in the testimony of the leaders, partners,and staff of Fonkoze demonstrated the spirit of Haitians: They take the worst life has to throw at them and still resolve to rebuild and even celebrate.
But the earthquake was not the focus of the event. Rather, it highlighted Fonkoze’s Chemen Lavi Miyo program, which identifies the very poorest people in villages and provides intensive support to help them get on the “Road to a Better Life”. This is the program Nicholas Kristof wrote about recently in his op-ed column in the New York Times, “Ladders for the Poor” – and spoke about with great enthusiasm at the fundraiser. Read the rest of this entry »
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