2nd European Microfinance Award, Social Responsibility in Microfinance
Prepared by Cécile Lapenu, Marc Mees, John Bliek and Carola Menzel in collaboration with the e-MFP Social Performance Working Group, May 2009.
The objective of the European Microfinance Award 2008 “Socially Responsible Microfinance” was to highlight and stimulate microfinance initiatives that represented breakthroughs in promoting social performance in microfinance. Socially Responsible Microfinance includes social responsibility (“do not harm”) (transparent services; developing access to the excluded; avoiding negative effects on the clients, staff, community, environment) and social performance (“do good”), putting a social mission into practice to ensure a positive economic and social impact on the clients and their families.
This publication features the winner of the 2008 Award (Buusaa Gonofaa, Ethiopia) and the two other finalists (AMK - Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea, Cambodia and RFR - Red Financiera Rural of Ecuador) plus the other semi-finalists as case studies.
