NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL FALL/WINTER … · NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL...

12
In 1962, a local leader in the Sierra Maestra barrio of Maracaibo, Venezuela surveyed the progress under way on a new school and community center and proclaimed, “Like nothing before in this barrio, this community center is ours. We made it and as soon as it is completed, we will fill it with celebration.” The community center was an early project of ACCION, a new grassroots community development initiative that was working to change attitudes—and lives—in 22 communities in Venezuela. The plan was simple but fresh: tap the potential of poor, urban barrio residents by educating them to help themselves. The initiative originated in the mind of a UC Berkeley law student named Joseph Blatchford. 1 A bold and charismatic young man, he was fresh off a goodwill tennis and jazz tour of 30 cities in Latin “Painfully aware of the comforts of modern life, the people of Latin America are demanding solutions. The seeds of ferment may grow with those who preach class warfare and totalitarianism. Or the seeds can grow in a system of grass roots community action in which the community organizes itself and pools resources and creative energies for the improvement of community life on all fronts.– Joseph H. Blatchford, ACCION Founder, 1964 (Continued on page 2) ventures INSIDE THIS ISSUE Crafting a New Life 3 From the Field: The Face of FInancial Inclusion in Africa 4 Spotlight on Our Supporters: Play with Purpose 5 ACCION Honors David E. Moore 5 In the Streets and Markets 6–7 Thanks to Our Supporters 9–11 NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL FALL/WINTER 2011–12 The Most Revolutionary Idea of All The Origins of ACCION www.accion.org Early ACCIONista Larry Sokol of Mountain View, California discusses the construction of a new school and community center with a local leader in the Cañada Honda barrio in Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1962.

Transcript of NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL FALL/WINTER … · NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL...

In 1962, a local leader in the SierraMaestra barrio of Maracaibo, Venezuelasurveyed the progress under way on anew school and community center andproclaimed, “Like nothing before in thisbarrio, this community center is ours. Wemade it and as soon as it is completed,we will fill it with celebration.”

The community center was an early project of ACCION, a new grassrootscommunity development initiative that

was working to change attitudes—andlives—in 22 communities in Venezuela.The plan was simple but fresh: tap thepotential of poor, urban barrio residentsby educating them to help themselves.

The initiative originated in the mind of a UC Berkeley law student named JosephBlatchford.1 A bold and charismaticyoung man, he was fresh off a goodwilltennis and jazz tour of 30 cities in Latin

“Painfully aware of the comforts of modern life, the people

of Latin America are demanding solutions. The seeds of

ferment may grow with those who preach class warfare and

totalitarianism. Or the seeds can grow in a system of grass

roots community action in which the community organizes

itself and pools resources and creative energies for the

improvement of community life on all fronts.”

– Joseph H. Blatchford, ACCION Founder, 1964

(Continued on page 2)

ventures

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

� Crafting a New Life 3

� From the Field: The Face of FInancial Inclusion in Africa 4

� Spotlight on Our Supporters: Play with Purpose 5

� ACCION Honors David E. Moore 5

� In the Streets and Markets 6–7

� Thanks to Our Supporters 9–11

NEWSLETTER OF ACCION INTERNATIONAL FALL/WINTER 2011–12

The Most Revolutionary Idea of AllThe Origins of ACCION

www.accion.org

Early ACCIONista Larry Sokolof Mountain View, Californiadiscusses the construction of a new school and communitycenter with a local leader inthe Cañada Honda barrio inMaracaibo, Venezuela in 1962.

In the summer of 1961, the first group of30 Americans was ready to deploy to poorbarrios in urban centers around Venezuela.

The nature of ACCION’s first projects reflected the needs that the communitiesthemselves identified as priorities. TheACCION workers spent long days doingeverything from digging ditches tobuilding schools, to fundraising to man-aging sensitive negotiations between opposing community leaders. About therange of these early projects, Blatchfordreflects, “The project depended on whatthe community was concerned about.Then, the community did it, they createdcommittees and were in charge of theproject. They realized they could do itand it changed their lives.”

But for ACCION volunteers and staff, the work was never about the projectsthemselves. Rather, they set out to helpdisenfranchised communities realize thepower they possessed when they workedtogether. A 1969 annual report explains,

Reading the works of Aldous Huxley,Alexis de Tocqueville and Gandhi, as wellas The Ugly American by UC Berkeley professor Eugene Burdick, and the then-classic essay, “The Moral Equivalent ofWar,” by William James, Blatchford’s philo-sophical approach and plan for actionbegan to take shape. Keying off of James’main thesis, he believed that Americansneeded to find new, non-militaristic waysto focus their involvement abroad whilepromoting self-determination and democ-racy. A volunteer corps dedicated to international cooperation and grassrootsdevelopment was one such path.

Blatchford recruited two other standoutUC Berkeley law students—Jerry Bradyand Gary Glenn—to manage volunteerrecruitment, publicity and state-side ori-entation of volunteers while he continuedto cultivate contacts in Latin America andrelay his vision to prospective donors inboth North and South America.

America when he began to wonder howyoung Americans might better serve the causes of both global understandingand democracy.

In his travels through the social strata ofLatin America, Blatchford had encoun-tered alarming upheaval. Much of LatinAmerica was reeling from a confluence of social and economic changes: falter-ing paternalistic governments, an end tothe traditional feudal system of rural landownership and an influx of migrants tourban areas that produced overcrowded,unsanitary and untenable shantytowns.Violence and unrest were in the air, andmuch of the ire was directed at theUnited States.

Community members in Barrio La Linea in Caracas, Venezuela post a sign advertising open registrationfor courses in literacy, typing, mechanics, sewing and cooking through the Centro Comunal América,an early ACCION project.

� 2 VENTURES Fall/Winter 2011–12

1 Correction: The Ventures Spring/Summer 2011feature article, “The World is Very Different Now”incorrectly stated that Joseph Blatchford attendedStanford University for his undergraduate degree.He earned a BA in political science at UCLA.

(Continued on page 8)

“ACCIONistas are not in

these slums to distribute

funds or to boss projects.

They are there as catalysts,

as guides, as fellow workers,

infusing into the dispos-

sessed rural refugees initia-

tive, and the know-how

to tap Venezuela’s avail-

able sources of material,

machinery, technical assis-

tance, government services

and funds.”– From “The Thought Behind ACCION,”by Gertrude Buckman, Mademoiselle,January 1965

The Most Revolutionary Idea of All(Continued from page 1)

www.accion.org 3 �

If you’re looking for a story of hope and resiliency in these

tough economic times, look no further than ACCION San

Diego client Lidia Calzado. She’s an unlikely source of

inspiration, however. Lidia started her entrepreneurial

journey with three strikes against her—she fled Cuba

and arrived in the United States as a refugee after being

rescued at sea, she speaks only Spanish and she’s legally

blind. But Lidia has applied a singular energy to her

work and life and has overcome these obstacles with

generosity and grace.

When she first arrived in San Diego, Lidia refused to see

herself as helpless, and immediately began volunteering

at community organizations in the city. To support

herself, she used the sales skills she had honed in Cuba

to sell gold jewelry and perfume. Her ability to connect

with others helped her to sustain the business for a

while, but the prices and interest her supplier charged

ultimately proved too high. To get out from under the

supplier and purchase her stock outright, Lidia sought

a small business loan from mainstream commercial

banks. However, due to her “lack of financial capacity,”

they all answered with a firm “no.”

At the time, Lidia was frequenting La Maestra, a multi-

service agency that aids “under-served, ethnically diverse

communities” in and around San Diego. There, she

received basic business education and learned about

ACCION San Diego, a nonprofit lender with 17 years of

experience serving San Diego’s low-to-moderate income

self-employed men and women. She applied for a loan

from ACCION San Diego and was delighted to receive

$8,000 to stock her inventory.

These days, Lidia is using her ingenuity and business

acumen to make and sell her own products—home-

made purses, belts, jewelry and other accessories made

out of everyday items such as bottle caps—through her

business, Tu Bodeguita. Her income is on the rise, and

she takes pride in crafting her own products, saying,

“Working with my hands is something that no one can

take away from me.”

Lidia’s energy and generosity are also hers to keep. She

is currently a volunteer jewelry-making instructor at La

Maestra, teaching other immigrant women how to create

their own artisan businesses and craft new lives.

To meet more microentrepreneurs, visit www.accion.org.

CRAFTING A NEW LIFE

Lidia’s income is on the rise, and she takes

pride in crafting her own products, saying,

“Working with my hands is something that

no one can take away from me.”

Lidia Calzado displays a selection ofher handmade accessories.

Solomon Adegbola, paint vendor in Lagos, Nigeria (left), with his ACCION Microfinance Bank loan officer.

By Brian Kuwik, ACCION Senior VP and Regional Head, Africa

What might a financially inclusive Africa look like?

We know what it doesn’t look like. When I joined ACCIONas a resident advisor in Zimbabwe in 2001, I had todrive to another country to get paid. Zimbabwe’s finan-cial systems were isolated from the rest of the world. Its currency was extremely weak, and the price of foodand other goods doubled every week. This led to short-ages in goods such as fuel. Once, I was not sure that Ihad enough gas to make my monthly drive to the borderfor payday. As I drove south across the plateau, I wouldput my car into neutral and coast down the hills to con-serve it. Finally, I did cross the Limpopo River into SouthAfrica. I’ve never been so happy to see an empty gasstation—without cars lined up and down the street.

That was an extreme case and only exemplifies a smallsample of the daily challenges that Zimbabweans facedduring those hard times. Over the past decade, manyAfrican countries have made important progress in termsof democracy and economic development. With 900million inhabitants in over 50 countries, Africa is a diverseplace, rich in growth potential but with some of thehighest levels of poverty and the lowest levels of finan-cial inclusion in the world.

Despite growth in the microfinance industry during recent years, studies indicate that access to a formal savings account may be limited to as little as 12 percentof the population in countries such as Tanzania and

� 4 VENTURES Fall/Winter 2011–12

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

The Face of Financial Inclusionin Africa

Brian Kuwik, ACCION Senior VP andRegional Head, Africa

Mozambique. Most Africans, especially those living onless than $2 per day, continue to live in a cash economywithout formal financial services.

While the world doesn’t always answer need with oppor-tunity, in Africa we’re beginning to provide access to a range of financial services that are independent ofone’s economic position in society. When I first traveledto Nigeria in 2002, microfinance comprised a handful of NGOs operating in rural areas. Today, a nascent in-dustry is taking shape. We see similar positive trends inother countries. In Ghana and Tanzania, the industry has experienced the entry of several new institutionsand is achieving a certain degree of maturity.

There is a strongly-rooted tradition of savings in mostAfrican cultures and, by 2012 we estimate that our part-ners in Africa will have 300,000 savers in their portfolios.Broader access to financial services will be achievedthrough product innovations such as more streamlinedindividual lending, savings for youth and students, microinsurance, alternate payment options and home improvement loans.

These are all steps in the right direction, butwe’ll know that we’ve achieved our vision when a majority of Africans have a savings account and can access credit and other services attuned to their needs and aspirations—through formal financial institutions and in a dignified manner.

Play with Purpose: The GAMBIT Gaming Marathon

By David Firth Bard, ACCION Development Specialist(and gamer)

Some people walk for their favoritecauses, while others ride bicycles or gobowling. When the students and staff at the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT GameLab, a game research center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,decided to bring their support for Haitito the “next level,” they created a fund-raising marathon in their own style: a long weekend playing video games for microfinance.

Having donated to disaster relief andhealth organizations after the earthquakethat devastated Haiti in 2010, the organ-izers at GAMBIT found themselves lookingfor a way to help Haitians continue to rebuild their lives. “We knew that aidtends to correspond with media atten-

tion,” explained researcher and co-organizer Jason Begy, “and that evenafter the news cameras have left, peopleare still in need of help.” Together withco-organizer Abe Stein and others fromthe game lab, Jason recognized that thelivelihoods of Haitians could be improvedby creating economic opportunities.

Jason Begy and Abe Stein in the Singapore-MITGAMBIT Game Lab

“Building Haiti’s economy is an importantstep towards stabilizing the country, and we knew microfinance to be an effective means of doing so.” The gamersat GAMBIT decided that the proceedsfrom their marathon would be donatedto ACCION.

Not satisfied with merely playing videogames for 48 straight hours, GAMBIT’sgamers created entirely new and chal-lenging twists for their gaming andfundraising endeavors. One participantplayed Super Mario World using only hisfeet, and another group enjoyed their favorite game, Castle Crashers, wearingcharacter costumes.

As game researchers, Jason explained,the students at GAMBIT study “the wayspeople engage with games, and witheach other through games. Giving peoplethe opportunity to creatively play theirfavorite games for an audience attracteda lot of attention and was really fun towatch.”

By the end of the marathon weekend, theplayers at GAMBIT raised over $2,500from dozens of new donors, expandingawareness of microfinance and making a lasting impact in the lives of clientsserved by ACCION’s programs in Haitiand around the world.

ACCION salutes GAMBIT for their gam-ing stamina, support of microfinance andcommitment to making a difference!

To learn more about how you can support ACCION’s work around the globe, visit www.accion.org/donate, call 617-625-7080 ext.1445 or email [email protected].

www.accion.org 5 �

Spotlight on Our Supporters

ACCION HonorsDavid E. Moore

Sadly, we inform members of the ACCION family that David E.Moore, a dedicated member of thePresident’s Council, passed away in August after a brief illness.

David was a respected journalistand a founding trustee of thePulitzer Center for InvestigativeJournalism. Throughout his career,he exhibited a commitment toboth freedom of the press and international economic develop-ment, which he considered “thehope of the world.”

David was an active and visionarymember of the President’s Coun-cil since 2005. His and his wife,Katherine’s, very generous supportthrough the David and KatherineMoore Family Foundation providedseed funding to help ACCIONbring microfinance to Brazil, India,New York and Miami.

“David will be mis-

sed by all of us at

ACCION. Yet his

legacy lives on as he

helped improve the

lives of microfinance

clients worldwide.”

– Michael Schlein, ACCION President and CEO

� 6 VENTURES Fall/Winter 2011–12

IN THE STREETS AND MARKETS

Washington, D.C.The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) at

ACCION International recently published a new

report entitled “Opportunities and Obstacles

to Financial Inclusion.” The report summarizes

findings from a survey of 301 industry partici-

pants on what they see as the bright spots and

weighty challenges in the industry. “A key

message from respondents is that the industry

has to listen to clients and reply with more

demand-driven products,” said CFI Managing

Director Elisabeth Rhyne, who authored the

paper with Senior Analyst Anita Gardeva.

To learn more, visit www.centerforfinancialinclu-sion.org.

BrazilInterest in ACCION Microfinanças, ACCION’s

new microfinance institution in Manaus, Brazil,

picked up dramatically due to local media

buzz surrounding the official inauguration on

June 7th. The institution offers working capital

and longer-term fixed-asset loans, financial

education and, eventually, microinsurance

products and credit cards to microentrepre-

neurs in the northern city of Manaus, the

“Gateway to the Amazon.”

NicaraguaACCION’s Nicaraguan partner, Financiera

FAMA, is emerging as one of the strongest

microlenders in Nicaragua, following the

global economic downturn and an endemic

repayment crisis that began there in 2008.

Despite trying conditions, the microfinance

institution, bolstered by technical assistance

from ACCION, continues to defy the odds and

meet its targets, serving over 32,000 micro-

entrepreneurs with microloans. Financiera

FAMA is a long-time partner of ACCION, the

two having initiated the partnership in 1992.

The 2011 class of ACCION Ambassadors at their training in Boston in May.

www.accion.org 7 �

Nigeria ACCION Microfinance Bank Limited (AMfB)

has been named “Microfinance Bank of the

Year” in Nigeria by the Lagos State Enterprise

Awards. The selection was made following a

survey by an industry research group for LEAD

awards, in which AMfB was honored for its “…

excellent performance and good understand-

ing of micro lending in the microfinance bank-

ing sector.” When the bank was established in

2005, it was the first commercial microfinance

operation in a country of 130 million, where

over 90 percent of the population lives on less

than $2 a day. Following AMfB’s lead, countless

commercial microfinance institutions sprang

up in subsequent years. Recently, however, the

Nigerian microfinance market has suffered, as

many of these operators have proven unable

to exercise prudent management and maintain

financial health. Despite the increasing risk in

the Nigerian microfinance industry and other

limiting factors, such as the current global eco-

nomic downturn, AMfB has exhibited good

corporate governance and, as a result, growth.

To learn more, visit www.accionmfb.com.

For more information about ACCION's workaround the globe, visit www.accion.org.

IndiaACCION partner Saija Finance Ltd., located

in Bihar, India, is testing an innovative mobile

phone repayment option for its microbusiness

loan clients. They are implementing the pilot

in partnership with Eko, a Delhi-based startup

that builds low-cost financial services infrastruc-

ture. The unique system is a major departure

from the traditional Indian model whereby the

loan officers have to go and collect repayments

from the clients directly. Widespread use of

repayments could add up to time savings, cost

reductions, and most importantly, more flexi-

bility and convenience for Saija’s clients.

For more information, read “Introducing mobilerepayments in Patna” by David Firth Bard onhttp://accionambassadors.wordpress.com.

For more on microfinancearound the world, don'tmiss...

The ACCION Ambassadors Blog Take a trip to the heart and soulof microfinance by exploring oneof the more than 125 informativeand entertaining blog posts byACCION’s 2011 class of Ambassa-dors, such as:

� “On the Frontline: One Finan-cial Literacy Trainer’s Story”by Leah Vinton – Paraguay

� “Introducing Mobile Repay-ments in Patna” by DavidFirth Bard – India

� “Ghana: First Impressions”by Ellen Bauer – Ghana

� “A Tale of Two Cities” byStephen Matthew Lee – India

� “Working on the Social Pack-aging of Microfinance” byMary Helen Pombo – Paraguay

� “Seeing How the Sausage IsMade: My First MicrofinanceRecovery Visit” by JasonLoughnane – Tanzania

To view these and other posts, go to http://accionambassadors.wordpress.com.

MicroBike is an annual biking event open to anyonewith a desire to have fun and make a difference. MicroBikers create their own rides with friends and colleagues to raise awareness and funds for microfi-nance and ACCION.

This year’s event, held the weekend of

October 1–2, was a huge success. Thanks

to everyone who rode, donated and sup-

ported MicroBike! And thank you to our

generous sponsor, Eaton Vance, and our

ACCION partners in San Diego, Chicago,

New York and Boston.

Visit www.microbike.org and learn howyou can get involved!

� 8 VENTURES Fall/Winter 2011–12

“ACCION’s projects are a vehicle bywhich the people of the slums have beenable to become full participants in thelife of their country.”

After several months of work and life inthe barrios, the first corps of volunteershad learned a few tough, but valuablelessons about the importance of relation-ship-building. As a result, ACCION developed the following five-step train-ing course for all volunteers: 1. Take allthe time you need to get to know thecommunity; 2. Cultivate local leaders andcome up with a small project that can beeasily achieved; 3. Help the communityto accomplish a larger, higher-impactproject; 4. Assist the community in institu-tionalizing these new efforts and networksto ensure they last; 5. Move on, makingroom for the community to collectivelylead itself to a better life.

The Most Revolutionary Idea of All( Continued from page 2)

This final step of working themselves outof a job was critical to the founder’s vision.When effective, the volunteers’ usefulnessquickly ran out as community membersthemselves built up their technical andpolitical capacities.

In fact, by the mid-1960s, ACCION was engaging fewer and fewer NorthAmericans and Europeans and insteadwas hiring college-educated Venezuelansas organizers—a group called “Commu-nity Action Organizers.” The original ACCIONistas worked side-by-side withtheir Venezuelan counterparts until theywere eventually deployed to Argentina,Brazil and Peru to start new ACCION organizations.

At first glance, with ACCION nowinvolved in every aspect of the global microfinance industry, today’s ACCION

appears worlds away from its begin-nings in Latin America. However, if youpeel back the layers of sophisticated inclusive finance initiatives, you find that Blatchford’s original intent lies justunder the surface and still drives every-thing we do.

This year, we are celebrating our origins,our present work helping 4.4 millionpeople in partnership with 29 microfi-nance institutions worldwide, and the future prospect of attaining full financialinclusion for the world’s people. As wedo so, we remain committed to the orig-inal vision of ACCION as laid out by ourfounder, to “…champion the most revolutionary idea of all—the dignity ofthe individual human being.”

For more on ACCION's 50-year history, pleasevisit www.accion.org/fiftyyears.

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHOPARTICIPATED IN MICROBIKE 2011!

www.accion.org 9 �

Leadership Circle($100,000+)Anonymous

ACCIONistas($10,000 – $99,999)Anonymous

Titus and Wendy Brenninkmeijer

The Estate of William J. Dant

Esmond Harmsworth

Dianne and Ron Hoge

Keith and Adine Kretschmer

Charles Liebman

Partners ($5,000 – $9,999)Paul and Winifred Dooley

Laura Giadorou-Koch

Seth and Sarah Glickenhaus

Danny Hegglin

Claudia and Keith Kennedy

Timothy and Jennifer Kingston

Richard and Linda Miller

Josie Sentner

Mark and Anne Veldman

Challengers ($1,000 – $4,999)Anonymous (2)

Joseph and Claude Audi

Julia P. Bailey

John and Linda Benner

Bradley and Tracy Bloom

Lynda Boone Fetter

William Barton Boyer andElaine May Boyer

Hugh Brady

Joy F. Bunson

Jeffrey and Elena Clark

Eric Craymer

Roberto Dañino

Barbara Falk

Welcome Fawcett

Marlynn M. Feasel

Enrique and Azucena Ferraro

Barbara Friedberg

Karen P. Gupta

Joe and Luisa Hamilton

Emmette Jacob

Frank Kane

Joshua and Elisabeth Kanner

Elizabeth and Dennis Keenan

Dennis and Joanne Keith

Jeanie and Murray Kilgour

Thomas Lehrer

David L. Leppik

Robin Macilroy

Peter L. Malkin

William and Ellen McKee

Michel Mercure

Ken Miller and Lybess Sweezy

Steven and Rhonda Miller

Birch and Catherine Mullins

Philip Oles

Sarah Pacheco Najarianand Mark Najarian

Perry C. Peine

Carmen Petts

Daniel Pierce

Robert and Sally Quinn

Donella Rapier

Ronald and Nancy Rubbico

Eric Schaffer and Alana Denison

Betty Schlein

Gerald Sprayregen

Frances W. Stevenson

Jesse Stuart

Judith and George Writer

Arthur and Lucretia Yaghjian

Advocates ($500 – $999)Anonymous (3)

John and Sharon Amdall

Allen Baum and Liz Witzke-Baum

Ted and Julia Behar

Maxwell and Enid Bentley

Peter Bevan

James Buchanan

Patty A. Cabot

Ryan Cairns

Martin Cammer

Clinton Caywood

Yi-An Chen

Anne and George Cleveland

David and Holiday Collins

Thomas Foley

Barry and Charlotte Friedberg

Elizabeth and James Glenn

Whoopi Goldberg

Gail Greenwald

D. Gumpertz

Clifford and Doris Gurney

Jere and Rebecca Hall

James and Judith Healey

Maurice Hernandez

John Hirschi

Theodore A. Hyde

David O. Jackson

Monwhea Jeng

Curt and Betty Jones

Judy Judd

Wayne and M. Lynn Kinney

Arif and Deborah Kureshy

Christian Lehew

Frances and Elliot Lehman

Daniel Lew

Judy and Will Mack

Paul McCarthy and Orla O’Callaghan

Keith McCluskey

Donald and Nancy McDaniel

Robert and Jana Norton

Thomas O’Connor

Jessica Oleson

Joyce Price

George Prochnow

Laurence and Stephanie Ralph

William Reichert

Elisabeth Rhyne

Sharon Rives and Paul Kendall

Alexander Robarts andMiran Yoon-Robarts

Scott Santin

Judy Saryan and Victor Zarougian

Katharine Schrader

RJ Serra

Douglas J. Simmons

Hope B. Stevens

Ellen and Frank Sullivan

Lois Sutton

Robert and Bonnie Temple

Valerie Thomas Hamilton

David J. Tilles

Donald and Barbara Tober

Tina Vandersteel andMatthew Cressotti

Diana Waterbury

Tonia Willekes

Katarzyna Witkowski

Lisa L. Yale

Joanne C. Zema

Friends ($250 – $499)Anonymous (8)

Jamie Allen

Leif and Susan Ancker

Jordan J. Arbit

Chris Bache

Dennis and Ann Barnacle

Katherine and D. Stan Barnhill

Frank Bean

Elizabeth Bedford

Robert Beisner

Debbie L. Benner

Esther and Alfred Beynon

Nancy Biggs

Doris Bouwensch

Dawn S. Bowen

William Braden, III

David and Eva Bradford

Devin Branstetter

Ida Braun

Allan Brown

Tyler Brown

J. Murfree and Patricia Butler

Ann and Bob Buxbaum

Traci and Dan Calabrese

Daniel Carney

Rip Cathcart

John and Nancy Citti

Edward H. Coburn

Walter and Edith Davie

Carl and Constance Dellmuth

Nicholas Dire

Martin J. Dreyfuss

Margaret Eberbach

Ronald J. Edwards

Betty Ellerin

Patrick Falkner

Marie Field

Stanley and Gwen Fischer

Paul and Darcie Frohardt

John and Hope Furth

Jeanne Gerson

Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Helen W. Gjessing

Daniel Goldstein and Laura Williams

Irene Goodale

Nelson Gothie

Connie and Kenneth Graham

Edward Greene

Wendy and David Hashmall

Agnes Hayden

Joseph Hedal and Jane Wojick

Robert and Joan Herman

John Hewey

Elizabeth B. Hirsch

Patricia M. Hoeft

Lisa Hoene

Donald and James Hunt

Dilmus and Jeanette James

Hope Jessup

Christine and Michael Kasman

Robert A. Kelly

Joseph Kenderdine

Peter Kenny

Junmo and Tienna Kim

Patrick Kleaver

Robert and Jean Kline

Stephen Kolodny

Robert Kowitz

Russell and Janice Kramer

William C. Leininger

Stewart Macaulay

Gerald and Madeline Malovany

Vicki Marks

Malcolm and Sandra McNeil

Allen Michaan

Jesper J. Michaelsen

Thanks to Our Supporters

The following individuals provided generoussupport between January 1, 2011 and June 30,2011. We value and appreciate contributionsthroughout the year.

� 10 VENTURES Fall/Winter 2011–12

Thanks to Our Supporters (cont.)

Kristin A. Moore

Martha Moret

Ruth I. Morton

Jeffrey and Trisha Murawski

Victoria O’Brien

Patrick and Ellen O’Donnell

Mairin O’Mahony

Robert F. Paashaus

Andrew A. Patricio

Lyle and Myrna Peacock

Theodore Peyton

Robert and Joan Pienkowski

Robert and Doris Pierce

Helga and Greig Porter

Karla Reed

Christopher Robinson

Patricia Robinson

Norman C. Rose

Nancy Rudolph

James and Marjory Russell

Betty Sanders

Michel Santerre

Gilbert Saucedo

Kathleen and Carl Scheiman

Dolly Schoenberg

Martha K. Schuh

Michael J. Schultz

Anne K. Schwalbenberg

JoAnn Schwartz

John and Martha Shaw

Thomas W. Sheehan

Evlyne H. Sheltrown

John Sias

Richard Smolowe

Roberta Spitzberg

Anne Godley St. Goar

Annette Steiner

Katherine and Hugh Stierhoff

James W. Stricker

Mark and Judith Strickland

Jonathan and Helen Sunshine

Toshi T. Suzuki

Linda R. Sveinsson

C. P. Sweeney

Wendy C. Tucker

Gary and Darcia Tudor

David Turner

Robert and Marjorie Van Handel

Kathryn Van Stone andRobert Smith

Frances A. Walker

Scott and June Waltz

Andrew Waples

Lelon and Jean Weaver

Paul Weber

Linda Wieser and Jim Rosbe

Julie and John Wilcox

Janet F. Winslow

Erin Wong

Mary Jean Zamboni

Cynthia S. Zimmer

T. G. Zimmerman

Sustainer’s SocietyThe Sustainer’s Societyhonors and recognizes aspecial group of loyalsupporters who demon-strate their long-termcommitment to alleviat-ing poverty by makingmonthly gifts.

Anonymous (32)

Miriam Adlum

Robert R. Ammerman

Jordan J. Arbit

Bruce Ashford

Chris Bache

Mikal Baker

Linda Ballas

Darrell and Laurel Batson

Anne Baum

Maureen Bennett

Howard and Deborah Bernstein

Vincent J. Bertino

Peter Bevan

Norma Boecker

Daniel F. Bostwick

Dawn S. Bowen

Devin Branstetter

Lisa Brenskelle

Molly Brewton

Marcia Brown

Robert Brown

Deborah D. Buffton

Patty A. Cabot

Traci and Dan Calabrese

Betsy S. Card

Gerda Carmichael

Maria Caruso

Vincent Casalaina

Nicole Soucy Cassidy

Jonathan Cheetham

Edward H. Coburn

Clelia Corona

Norman Cravens

Richard S. Crowell

Katharine K. Dannenberg

Brian Daschbach

James Davis

Elvin De La Cruz

Leah and Kenneth Dick

Eileen Dicks

Stephen D. Dictor

Mary Doerr

Jeane J. Doncaster

Alice Doppler

Don and Jan Downing

Sandra J. Downs

Margaret Eberbach

Mark Ekblad

EPreward, Inc.

David Erickson

Sandra Esner

Robert Evans

Patrick Falkner

Keitha Farney

Kathryn Feig

Mark Fernquest

Judith Flynn

Stephanie and Owen Foizen

Darvin Foo

Arthur R. Foster

Dennis and Carol Friedman

William Frohn

William R. Garner

Erik Gehring and Julie Wright

Mary L. Glatt-Banks

Aruna Goel

Hazal Gokmen

Gerard J. Goodman

Glen Grayman and Karla Rodine-Grayman

Vickie and Gary Greaves

James and Lucinda Grovenburg

Cami Grover

Barbara Hale-Seubert

Seymour Hanan

Steve and Hilary Harston

Thomas F. Heck

Robert and Sonia Heinz

Jonathan Hera

Donald Herold

John Hicks

Michael High

John Hoffman

Nancy Houk

Mary Hudgins

Virginia W. Hulbert

Emmette Jacob

Ellen Johnson

Phillipa Kafka

Diana Keegan

Gerald Kercher

Rayman Keung

Carolyn Kidder

Jonathan Kimmel

Janet and Alvin King

Ronald Kinkade

Wayne and M. Lynn Kinney

Marcella Klein

Robert and Jean Kline

Yves and Carol Kraus

Louise Ladd

Peter Lane

David Langford

Christopher Lee

Nina Lesavoy

Joan Levine

Eileen D. Logan

Joan Lomaki

Robert Loucks

Jane W. Lusk

George and Beatrice Luthringer

Gabriella Maertens

Ernani Magalhaes

Vicki Marks

Susan Martin

Vicki Mattingly

Beverly Maughan

Diane L. McAvoy

John H. McConnell

Jean McCown

Arthur McLean

James McPherson

Luis Mendoza

Jesper J. Michaelsen

Steven P. Millard

Lisa Miller

Steven and Rhonda Miller

Donna Monahan

Mary D. Moon

Ariel Morgenstern

Ellen Mudrovich

Jeffrey and Trisha Murawski

Patricia Murphy

Robert and Jana Norton

Ellen Oppler

Elizabeth Osborn andJoseph Griffith

Andrew A. Patricio

William and Mary Jo Peters

Julie Phillips

Garry Pollack

Louise Popkin

Eva Prescott

Mary M. Printzenhoff

Karla Reed

William Reichert

Chantal Richard

Billie Jo Richards

Charles Robinson

Fran and Maura Roby

Heather A. Rodin

Nancy Rudolph

Donald P. Ruehl

R. W. Rumsey

J. Rusciolelli

Terrance W. Ryan

Michel Santerre

Linda Schreiber

Martha K. Schuh

JoAnn Schwartz

Benjamin Seigel

Luke Shafnisky

Joseph and Marjorie Shapiro

Gregory and Josephine Shaya

Thomas W. Sheehan

www.accion.org 11 �

Evlyne H. Sheltrown

Theresa Shelzi

Emil Smith

Justin E. Sockett

David R. Southern

John Speer

Bruce and Julie Spring

Kevin M. Stoner

Guy Strenck

Beverly J. Sutton

Betsi J. Taylor

Jennifer Tice

Nancy T. Trimble

Altagracia Trinidad

Henry Valente

Mario Valladares

Benjamin Viemeister

Adam Walker

Lelon and Jean Weaver

Margaret Welin

Gordon White

Leslie Wilbur

Tonia Willekes

Jo Ann Williams

Sheila Williams

Enery Williamson

Virginia Windley

Catherine Youngen

H. Berrien Zettler

T. G. Zimmerman

Institutions Anonymous (2)

Academy for EducationalDevelopment

The Baisden Trust

Belgian Investment Company for Develop-ing Countries (BIO)

The Brinson Foundation

The Eli and Edythe BroadFoundation

Capital Group CompanyCharitable Foundation

Cascade Foundation

Christ United MethodistChurch

Citi Foundation

Citigroup

Ernst & Young

First Data Foundation

John and Mary FranklinFoundation, Inc.

Hardcastle Trading USA

Inter-American Development Bank

Interaudi Bank

International Finance Corporation

The LaGarde CharitableTrust

Maanaveeya Holdings &Investments (P) Ltd.

MasterCard Worldwide

Meg Metzger Fund of theWhatcom CommunityFoundation

Microsoft Corporation

David & Carol Myers Foundation

The Narnia Foundation

Netherlands DevelopmentFinance Company(FMO)

Parsec Financial Management, Inc.

Putumayo World Music

Rudy and Alice RamseyFoundation

Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd.

Serena Fund of Tides Foundation

Sisters of the Divine Savior

Spanish Honor Society ofHolmdel High School

Sprayregen Family Foundation, Inc.

The Tundra Glacier Fund

United States Agency for International Development

Valentine Enterprises Inc.

Whoop, Inc

Donor AdvisedFunds, Matching GiftOrganizations &Workplace GivingProgramsAmerica’s Charities

Ameriprise Financial

AST Capital Trust Company of Delaware

AT&T United Way Employee Giving Campaign

Autodesk, Inc.

Boeing Charitable Trust

Calvert Social InvestmentFoundation

The Community Foundation of GreaterGreensboro

Corporate Executive BoardCompany

Dell Direct Giving Program

Dominion Foundation

Fidelity Charitable GiftFund

GE Foundation

Global Impact

Goldman Sachs & Co.

Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC

The Greater Kansas CityCommunity Foundation

Jewish Communal Fund

JustGive.org

Kaiser Permanente

The Liberty Mutual Foundation

MasterCard International

McAfee, Inc.

The Merck CompanyFoundation

Microsoft Corporation

MissionFish

Morgan Stanley

Network For Good

The New York CommunityTrust

Northrop Grumman Employee Charity Organization

Orange County Community Foundation

The Pfizer Foundation, Inc.

The Pittsburgh Foundation

Razoo Foundation

The Regence EmployeeGiving Campaign

Rochester Area Community Foundation

The Schwab CharitableFund

Silicon Valley CommunityFoundation

The Standard EmployeeCommunity Campaign

The Tides Foundation

Tompkins Charitable GiftFund

U.S. Charitable Gift Trust

United Way of New YorkCity

United Way of Rhode Island

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

Whatcom CommunityFoundation

Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation

World Bank CommunityConnections Fund

WPG Solutions, Inc.

In-Kind DonorsAdvanced Merchant

Payments, Ltd.

Russell and Carol Faucett

Foley Hoag

Laura Giadorou-Koch

Hewlett-Packard Company

Thomas Roose and Joanne Thompson

Diana L. Taylor

NetHope

Recife SocietyThe Recife Society honorsand recognizes thoseloyal supporters who arehelping to ensure the future of hardworkingpoor people worldwidethrough planned giving.

Anonymous (2)

Charles A. Abela

Andres Acedo del Olmoand Belinda Barrington

Ronald and Patricia Anderson

James Bellevue and Elena Lipkowski

Albert Bildner

Mark and Margaret Burgessporter

Lynn Caporale

Carol Cavanaugh

Roger and Shirley Conant

William R. Dade

Ruth O. Frank

Emily Garlin

Gilbert W. Glass

Foster Goodwill and Renee Hummel

Bob and Elly Gordman

Ruth Hartman and Gary Wolff

June E. Heilman

Roy Jacobowitz andRoberta Moss

Keith and Adine Kretschmer

Roger L. Krouse

Roni Lebauer and Michelle Ryan

Wendy and Stanley Marsh, 3

Caroline Ramsay Merriam

Richard and Linda Miller

Thomas Nagle and Leslie Haller

Mila Reyes-Mesia

Abigail Rome

Norman C. Rose

Robert and Sibylle Scarlett

Josie Sentner

George and Barbara Lou Smyth

Nancy S. Truitt

David and Laurel Walters

Gary A. Winter

ACCION International56 Roland Street, Suite 300Boston, Massachusetts 02129 USA

Address Service RequestedReturn Postage Guaranteed NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

BOSTON, MA

PERMIT NO. 56294

V ISIT ACCION’S MICROMARKET!

PHOTO CREDITS

John Rae for ACCION Interna-tional p. 4, p. 5 right, p. 6 Washington, D.C., p. 7 Nigeria, p. 10, p. 11 and back cover

Rohanna Mertens for ACCION International p. 6 Nicaragua

This holiday season, honor your loved ones with meaningful holiday gifts that help breakthe cycle of poverty for the enterprising poor.

www.accionmicromarket.orgwww.accionmicromarket.org