1. Millennium Developmental Goals for 2015

2. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women Increase womens access to credit

3. People in impoverished countries remain excluded from economic growth Many are still far away from reaping the benefits of the global economy

4. Offer access to small credit loans Teach women basic ways of borrowing and paying off loans Begin a business, invest the money, education, feeding the family, clothing and shelter

5. Women have always been the focus of MCI More likely to invest their money towards the well-being of their families

6. Kiva is an example of an MCI Mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. Empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe

7. Removed the need for collateral and created a system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. Provides credit to the poorest of the poor in rural Bangladesh.

8. A married women with 3 children who sells groceries, and clothes received a loan of $450 to buy more supplies. She has been able to get more profit and train her children. She paid the loan back in full after 10 months.

9. Ninety five percent of people who borrow, pay back the loans The high payback rate helps build the financial security of the group, improves chances of moving away from poverty

11. Grameen Bank. (2011). Banking for the poor. Retrieved on September 15, 2010 from http://www.grameen.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=103 http://www.grameen.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=103 Kiva. (2010). Loans that change lives. Retrieved on September 14 from http://www.kiva.org/http://www.kiva.org/ United Nations. (2010). Work for the People and the Planet. Retrieved on September 14, 2010 from http://www.un.org/works/sub3.asp?lang=en&id=22 http://www.un.org/works/sub3.asp?lang=en&id=22 Photographs: Kiva. (2010). Loans that change lives. Retrieved on September 14 2010 from http://www.kiva.org/press/imagegallery http://www.kiva.org/press/imagegallery Kate Perkins University Scholars Program Hazel Forsythe, Ph.D. RD. LD. Associate Professor March, 2010 Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.