8:15 a.m. Registration Begins: Coffee, Snacks, & Networking
9:00 – 10:05 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Yeardley Smith
Yeardley Smith is an Emmy award-winning actor, novelist and playwright who is best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the Emmy award winning television series The Simpsons. She is passionate about microfinance. As a donor and volunteer, she is partnering with Grameen Foundation on a special initiative geared toward expanding microcredit and related services to those living on less than a dollar a day. Yeardley will share her perspectives and experiences visiting with women in Haiti, both pre- and post-earthquake and address the impact of microfinance
10:05 – 10:20 a.m. Coffee Break
10:20 - 11:20 a.m. International Microfinance Panel
Hear about the impact that the global economic meltdown is having upon the poor in developing countries and how different microfinance organizations are responding. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Rob Gailey, director of The Center For International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University, who has over 10 years of experience in the microfinance industry working at The Microcredit Summit Campaign and as the director of Microfinance Consulting Services at World Relief.
Panelists
Peg Ross – Grameen Foundation
Sean Carpentar – Project Concern International
Chris Crane – Eduleap
Elisa Sabitini – VIA International
11:20 - 11:45 a.m. San Diego Microfinance Documentary
11:45 – 1:15 p.m. Lunch and Marketplace
Enjoy fine dining from four different vendors, each who have been financed by one of the San Diego Microfinance Alliance’s partnering organizations. The marketplace will consist of over 25 different vendors sharing their goods and services in a farmer’s market style set-up. Each vendor has been a recipient of one or more microloans and has their goods to show for it. The marketplace provides an opportunity for participants to converse with local entrepreneurs, buy local products, and see the impact that microlending is making on our community.
1:15 – 3:30 p.m. Break Out Sessions
1. Students In Microfinance – Learn about opportunities to become more involved in microfinance from students and alumni of San Diego Univervisities. Learn about potential internships, job opportunities, and University Microfinance Clubs.
2. Microfinance In Academia – The Microfinance in Academia session seeks to provide an overview of the developments in microfinance as it pertains to research, curriculum, and community outreach endeavors in academia. Panelists from four major academic institutions in the San Diego region (Point Loma Nazarene University; San Diego State University; University of California, San Diego; and University of San Diego) will provide their perspectives and will outline the activities taking place in their respective institutions with respect to microfinance and allied areas. The objective of this session is to stimulate conversations and to forge partnerships among institutions, practitioners, and the community.
3. Group Lending Model – While many are familiar with Grameen Bank’s village banking model, rarely has it
been successfully replicated in the United States. Chris Nayve, Associate
Director of The Center For Community Learning at the University of San Diego
will team up with Elena Cruz of La Maestra to talk about the partnerhsip they
have established and how providing $250 loans are changing the lives of women in
San Diego. Hear from several borrowers as they share their personal story and
tell first-hand how the business training and microloan from La Maestra has
empowered them in their communities.
4. San Diego Microlenders – Panelists from four local Microfinance Organizations will share about the work
they are doing in San Diego, how they collaborate to work together, and some
strategic partnerships they have formed. Two clients that have been served by
these organizations will present about their businesses, how they utilized
funding from several programs, and how the local network of MF Organizations
helped them to grow their business. This session will be an interactive panel
with plenty of time for Q&A and discussion with the clients.
5. Investing In Microfinance: Pro-Poor or Pro-Profit? – As microfinance continues to evolve and mature as a financial industry, more public and private dollars are becoming available to microfinance institutions (MFI’s). Some invest in order to help reduce poverty, others simply for a return on investment. Persons and institutions interested in ensuring that microcredit continues to serve the poor need to be careful about where they place their investments and financial support. In this break-out session, Terry Provance, Executive Director of Oikocredit, USA will examine current trends in microfinance, social impact and responsible investing.
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Networking Mixer
Enjoy drinks and appetizers while mingling with microfinance clients, practitioners, students, investors and many others.