Message-ID: <19970214103406201.AAA86@smtp.persocom.com.br> Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 10:34:08 +0000 From: Joaquim Moura <mailto:joaquim.moura@PERSOCOM.COM.BR> Subject: Microcredit Summit and Brazil-Brasilia To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Dear Friends,Did you have attended the Microcredit Summit? Did you meet any Brazilian government officer? - Federal level, state level or from Brasilia (Government of the Federal District)? And from Brazilian NGOs dealing with microcredit. If you met, please, tell me (I am making a research about the way Brazil participates in this trend - thanks).
MICROCREDIT IN BRASILIA Now, I am belonging to the Credit Committee of the Banco de Brasilia microcredit program. So every Wednesday, I meet three other Committee integrants: the representatives of the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Finance and Banco de Brasilia. I represent the Citizenship National Action - Committee Brasilia. I was selected to represent the Action for this year of 97. So I am still getting used to their proceedings. Here are some statistics, since program's inception, last year:
Operations (loans delivered): 1602 Amount: R$ 2.474.454,36 (almost the same in US dollars) Average loan: R$ 1.544,60
I perceive that the project needs a better cultural insertion in the communities where the micro-micro and microentrepreneurs live. To help them to market their products, to compete with world brands as Adidas, Nike, McDonalds, Levis and Benetton to sell their products. The community should be invited to value and support their local producers, provided the same quality (or more, or almost) than those products.
For example: there is not any kind of network communication among those who benefits from the program. So nobody has a whole vision of the process, so the lenders don't feel included in an important project, etc... The training is minimal (I asked for their instructional materials for lender training and for credit agent training, and I am sure that we could add some important issues, with the experience from Accion International, Women's World Bank etc.
For those who read in Portuguese, please visit: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc/micbndes.htm It is an article from newspaper O GLOBO (Jan 31, 97) about the Brasilia federal government program of microcredit.
Thank's, Joaquim _____________________________________________________________ Joaquim Moura
Companheiros das Americas / Partners of the Americas Comite Brasilia - Washington D.C. / Committee Comissao de Desenvolvimento da Juventude e da Cidadania / Youth and Citizenship Development Commission ** todas as opinioes controversas sao apenas pessoais ** ** all the controversial opinions are just personal **
WWW site: http://webwrite.com/partners.bsb-dc