First Workshop on Grameen Bank II

Grameen Bank and Grameen Trust jointly organized a workshop on the main features of Grameen Bank II, for the senior replicators. This was the first workshop of its kind, intended to expose the most experienced microcredit practitioners to the Grameen Generalized System, which was introduced by Grameen Bank in 2000.

The organizations participating in this workshop, represented mostly by their CEOs,were the following: ASHI, CARD and Dungganon, Philippines; MKEJ and YDBP, Indonesia; AIM, Malayasia; FPC, China; ASA and TMT, India; Pro Mujer, Bolivia; RMDC, Nirdhan Utthan Bank and SBP, Nepal; Kashf, Pakistan; CEP Fund, Vietnam, and Grameen Foundation, USA.

The participants were introduced on the first day to the concept and elements of the Grameen Generalized System. They then spent two days in various branches around Bangladesh to see for themselves the new products of Grameen II at the field level and how this has impacted the borrowers and staff. When the participants returned from the field, they discussed what they had seen and presented in groups their overall assessment of the new system. Participants were particularly interested in the features of the new system which were more user friendly and responsive to customer needs. They showed keen interest in the Grameen Pension savings fund and other savings products, performance appraisal system for the staff and the branches. They examined closely the features of the Basic Loans and Flexible Loans, in particular the enhanced capacity of the bank to make microcredit tension free and easy to implement on the ground.

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Grameen Global Network Meeting

The 15th meeting of the Grameen Global Network (GGN), was held in Dhaka on September 26, 2002. Twenty-five GGN members, including the participants at the workshop on Grameen Bank II, attended the meeting to review activities of the network and discuss the main challenges and opportunities facing microcredit programs worldwide. Participants discussed the current situation of microcredit in their own countries with special attention to the issues of regulatory framework and funding. Although laws for microcredit had been passed in countries such as the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Bolivia and others, the framework was not always suitable for microcredit for the poor. It was agreed at the meeting that the practitioners, once they returned to their country, would put together in brief the most important elements required for suitable regulatory framework for microcredit. Grameen Global Network will compile the feedback from different countries to share with policy makers at the Microcredit Summit + 5 to be held in November in New York City.

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New Scholarship Management Program

Start a Scholarship in the Name of Your Beloved Person !

Grameen Shikkha (or Education) , a member of the Grameen family of enterprises, has launched a new scholarship management program to assist the poor meritorious school children. If a person or an institution is interested to start a scholarship in the name of a beloved person or an institution, Grameen Shikkha will take up the responsibility of its management.

• With a deposit of Tk. 100,000 Grameen Shikkha will give Tk. 500 as scholarship per month to a student (or Tk. 250 to 2 students) at any school or locality chosen in Bangladesh by the sponsor.
• Minimum deposit for the scholarship is Tk. 50,000.
• The sponsor may discontinue the program after 5 years by withdrawing the principal amount, or may continue the program in perpetuity.
• Any amount entrusted with Grameen Shikkha will be guaranteed by Grameen Bank.
• Grameen Shikkha will take the responsibility of selecting the students as instructed by the sponsor, delivering scholarship money to the students and regularly informing the sponsor about progress of the scholarship holders.

For more information please contact:
Grameen Shikkha
Grameen Bank Bhaban
Mirpur-2, Dhaka-1216
Phone/Fax: 880-2-8011425
E-mail: nurjahan-gs@grameen.com

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