Grameen Family

Today I will show you Grameen Family :

1.Grameen Trust
Grameen Trust (GT), a non-profit and non-government organization established in 1989 uses microcredit as a tool for fighting poverty and follows the Grameen Bank approach for the purpose. It supports and promotes poverty focused microcredit programs all over the world under its Grameen Bank Replication Program (GBRP) through a number of ways – dialogue programs for potential replicators, training and technical assistance to replication projects, funding selected projects, and monitoring performance.Grameen Trust funds are provided in two forms – seed capital and scaling up fund.

As of August 2007, it has provided support to 138 replication partners in 37 countries of the world. Under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) program, the Trust directly implements the projects to respond to the need for immediate and rapid implementation of poverty focused microfinance programs. Grameen Trust hosts the Grameen Global Network (GGN) and publishes the Grameen Dialogue newsletter to promote the cause of microcredit movement. To implement the replication program, it received funds from the MacArthur Foundation, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical Cooperation or GTZ), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Citigroup Foundation, the World Bank and Ford Foundation

Website : http://www.grameentrust.org/

2.Grameen Fund
Grameen Fund is a not-for-profit company in Bangladesh established to provide risk capital to small and medium enterprises (SME) beyond the scope of Grameen Bank’s objectives of providing microcredit to the very poor.Incorporated in 17 January 1994, Grameen Fund started operation in February 1994, inheriting 40 projects of Grameen bank with assets of 391 million Bangladeshi taka investmented in small industries, fisheries and agriculture.As of 2007, it invested equity worth $1.0 million in 13 joint ventures and financed 1763 small and micro enterprises in Bangladesh, especially in technology-oriented industries, by providing collateral-free fixed and working capital loans

Website : http://www.grameenfund.org/

3.Grameen Telecom
Grameen Telecom (GTC) is a not-for-profit company in Bangladesh established with a partial stake in Grameen Phone (GP). GTC has driven the pioneering GP program of Village Phone that enables rural poor to own a cell-phone and turn it into a profit making venture. The vision behind the village phone program was formulated by Iqbal Quadir who was convinced that a mobile phone could become a source of income generation. Quadir worked with Professor Yunus and the Norwegian company Telenor to make the program a reality. Currently Grameen Telecom provides mobile phones among the villagers of the country

website : http://www.grameentelecom.net.bd/
4.Grameenphone
Grameenphone is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh and market leader  with more than 50% of the Bangladeshi market share. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997. It is partly owned by Telenor (62%) and Grameen Telecom (38%). It has more than 10 million customers as of December 2006. It is also the fastest growing cellular telephone network in Bangladesh. At the end of 2005, it had about 3500 base stations around the country with plans to add about 500 in the following six months. Grameenphone’s stated goal is to provide cost-effective and quality cellular services in Bangladesh.

Website : http://www.grameenphone.com/
5.Grameen Foundation
Grameen Foundation, founded as Grameen Foundation USA, is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington DC that works to replicate the Grameen Bank microfinance model around the world through a global network of partner microfinance institutions. Its CEO is Alex Counts. Grameen Foundation’s mission is, “To enable the poor, especially the poorest, to create a world without poverty.”

It is separate from organizations called “Grameen Foundation” in different countries, such as Grameen Foundation Australia

Website : http://www.grameenfoundation.org/