The Stories of Microfinancing: The Principles and Impact of Financial Inclusion

Often considered to be one of the most promising solutions in the fight against global poverty, “microfinance is a term used to describe financial services, such as loans, savings, insurance and fund transfers to entrepreneurs, small businesses and individuals who lack access to traditional baking services” (Kiva). With hundreds of organizations committed or partially committed to the facilitation of microfinance loans on a domestic and global scale, the way scholarly communities have ultimately decided to view this type of giving is narrow but optimistic. The trends associated with microfinancing show it to have a positive impact on both lenders and borrowers. The goal of this thesis is to bring a level of personal context to these trends with qualitative research from the stories of individuals who have participated in the facilitation of a microloan.