Mentor of Indian Microfinance, Sitaram Rao passes away

MF Focus, July 11, 2009: Sitaram Rao, one of the pillars of India’s microfinance movement and former CEO of SKS Microfinance, passed away on Friday  after suffering a heart attack, according to doctors at Poulomi Hospital in Hyderabad, informed his family members.
He was hospitalized following an accident with a fractured left arm three days ago and was undergoing treatment for high BP and sugar levels. It was around 8:30 pm in the evening on Friday that he collapsed  and efforts by doctors to revive him failed, said his sister Indira V. Rao.
A trained chartered accountant, he had held several senior advisory positions with finance, microfinance and international marketing companies including Equitas, the DCL Group (India), Muscat Finance Company (Sultanate of Oman), Laila Group (India), and Paradigm InfoTech (USA). He had also served as a visiting faculty member at Management Development Institute (Delhi), Industrial Finance Corporation of India, Computer Maintenance Corporation, and the State Bank of India.

He firmly believed that one of the effective ways to enhance the effectiveness of microfinance is to focus on value addition for microfinance borrowers through health, education and other services.
He was a strong force behind of SKS’s evolution. Dr. Vikram Akula, Chairman of SKS Microfinance, once said: “I am thankful to Sitaram Rao, my friend and guide, who has been with us throughout our journey. Without his support, SKS could not have established its strong presence in the sector.” SKS grew five times under his mentorship and expanded from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

On hearing Sitaram Rao’s sudden demise, Grameen Koota MD Suresh K. Krishna, has expressed his deep grief and shock. “We have lost our mentor and our guide,” he said. Sitaram Rao was committed to the values and principles of microfinance and worked to promote the movement until the last minute.

Malcolm Harper, renowned author and microfinance consultant, was taken by surprise when the news reached him. “Indeed, very sad news.  Certainly he is someone who was always full of ideas.  A great loss,” he told MF Focus.

Sitaram Rao will be remembered for his great contribution to microfinance, being a guiding and motivational person for many young leaders of microfinance in India.

Read the full news: http://www.microfinancefocus.com/news/?p=167

NA : If you wish to express your sympathy to the family of Sitaram Rao and the community of microfinance sector in India, you can pass your condolence note to us at news@...  with your full name, email id, organization and address.

From: Salma Amir <salma_smfn@...>
Subject: Re: [genfinance] Re: Supervisor for PhD on "Microfinance and Women Empowerment"
To: genfinance@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 5:36 PM

Dear Fusein,

I know both Linda Mayoux and Naila Kabeer, and I met both of them as well. I am also sending the proposal to them to sussex and cambridge. Besides that I am also looking for more names and universities to contact them if these ladies refuse due to their busy schedule or if I dont get admission (either case)

Thanks any ways for your reply

Salma

---

From: dyamyia <dyamyia@yahoo. com>
To: genfinance@yahoogro ups.com
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 6:27:16 PM
Subject: [genfinance] Re: Supervisor for PhD on "Microfinance and Women Empowerment"

--- In genfinance@yahoogro ups.com, Salma Amir <salma_smfn@ ...> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I would highly appreciate if some one help me in identifying Professors/ Universities in UK who can supervise my PhD thesis on " Micro Finance and women Empowerment" .
>
> I will contact them if all of you who are currently studying or teaching at UK universities identify them.
>
> Thanking you in advance
>
> Best Regards
>
> Salma Amir
> Pakistan

Hi Salma,
Are you kidding me, if you are a member of this forum you should know by now that one of the most authoritative voices on Microfinance and women's Empowerment is Linda Mayoux, check her many seminal works on empowerment and you will know what i mean.If you are not able to get her, because I understand she is a very busy lady(Check her website: lindaswebs for her contact details), you should try Naila Kabeer i think she is still at Sussex Univ. I like her work on the subject too. Check her work on SEDP:Money can't buy me love? just google it and also take a tour of LINDASWEBS and i am sure you will get a pretty good picture of who these fine brains are! Anyway, i hope you find this useful. Good luck. Fuseini

From: Tanya Henderson <tanyahenderson71@...>
Subject: Re: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment?
To: genfinance@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 3:07 PM

Good Morning! Today I leave for Jimma, Ethiopia to begin a study entitled "The Status of Health and Microfinance in Jimma: Searching for a Meaningful Correlation, Is There Any" through the medical school at Jimma University. Our intent is to determine whether women involved in microfinance are empowered to and have greater access to better health (health as a poverty indicator) for themselves and their families. I look forward to shared discussion as the project unfolds.  I must be off to catch my flight, but look forward to remaining in contact. Be well! T. Henderson, USA  --- On Mon, 7/13/09, dyamyia <dyamyia@yahoo. com> wrote: From: dyamyia <dyamyia@yahoo. com> Subject: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment? To: genfinance@yahoogro ups.com Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 6:52 AM I am exploring how women's networks in group-based Microlending programs are used by women and or enhanced by MFIs for the purposes of their(Women' s) individual and or collective poverty alleviation, empowerment and health. Has anybody explored this before and what did they find? In the microcredit literature, it is apparent that whiles women's networks(social capital) are appropriated by MFIs for loan repayments, peer monitoring and self-selection of creditworthy borrowers etc, very little is done to by the MFIs to utilize this resource(social capital) for the furtherance of the larger obejectives of empowerment, poverty and health. I argue that by ingoring this potential and actual resource(in some instances) the impacts of MFIs and or credit in many impact assessments either underestimate or overestimate depending on whether women's networks are fostered or destroyed through the pressures of loan repayments and or the design of the project itself. I will be grateful if others can provide their views on this. I will also be grateful if you can point to relevant literature on this or any related articles. Regards, Fuseini, UK

From: tanyahenderson71@... <tanyahenderson71@...>
Subject: Re: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment?
To: genfinance@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 9:51 PM

Dear Fuseini,

Thank you so much for you thoughtful response! I also hope (and hypothesize) that we will discover much of the same results that you found in Ghana particularly relating to domestic violence and overall empowerment. I am actually a lawyer by trade and my intended focus in the field of microfinance is gender law and property and land law. However I was invited to introduce microfinance into proposed research on health and poverty through Jimma University and thought that it would be an important opportunity to learn/observe the impacts of microfinance from the perspective of health.
l look forward to engaging more soon!
Sincerely,
Tanya.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

---

From: Mr Fuseini Yamyia Dawuda
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:31:36 +0000 (GMT)
To: <genfinance@yahoogro ups.com>
Subject: Re: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment?

Hi, Tanya, I wish you a safe journey and a successful research. I am sure you will have fun and as well as find interesting correlates! My own research in Ghana among women micro credit beneficiaries indicate a strong correlation between access to credit and women's increased ability to not only decide the choice of care(ie, folk or orthodox) but also increased ability to pay for it. Apart from the obvious channels of increased consumption, i looked at issues of happiness, domestic violence, workload and women's sense of worth as proxies of health(ala Tipping, 1997). I realised that women's increased ability to support each other (mutual support and reciprocity) through their networks(eg microcredit groups) in times of ill health and other shocks in life such as bereavement, naming ceremonies provide added security and a sense of control among women which helps reduce stress, avoid the constant reliance on husbands and other male relatives and consequently, a reduction in the abuses that result from women's reliance on men. Though difficult to quantify, a qualitative study, like mine was able to capture these impact pathways. I mention these things because i feel your research may benefit when you adopt methodologies and methods that privilege context and voice of participating women and one which looks beyond the credit to other wider social arrangements which credit may help nurture or even destroy. I wish you good luck. Fuseini --- On Mon, 13/7/09, Tanya Henderson <tanyahenderson71@ yahoo.com> wrote: From: Tanya Henderson <tanyahenderson71@ yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment? To: genfinance@yahoogro ups.com Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 3:07 PM Good Morning! Today I leave for Jimma, Ethiopia to begin a study entitled "The Status of Health and Microfinance in Jimma: Searching for a Meaningful Correlation, Is There Any" through the medical school at Jimma University. Our intent is to determine whether women involved in microfinance are empowered to and have greater access to better health (health as a poverty indicator) for themselves and their families. I look forward to shared discussion as the project unfolds.  I must be off to catch my flight, but look forward to remaining in contact. Be well! T. Henderson, USA  --- On Mon, 7/13/09, dyamyia <dyamyia@yahoo. com> wrote: From: dyamyia <dyamyia@yahoo. com> Subject: [genfinance] What is any are the impacts of women's networks on poverty, empowerment? To: genfinance@yahoogro ups.com Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 6:52 AM I am exploring how women's networks in group-based Microlending programs are used by women and or enhanced by MFIs for the purposes of their(Women' s) individual and or collective poverty alleviation, empowerment and health. Has anybody explored this before and what did they find? In the microcredit literature, it is apparent that whiles women's networks(social capital) are appropriated by MFIs for loan repayments, peer monitoring and self-selection of creditworthy borrowers etc, very little is done to by the MFIs to utilize this resource(social capital) for the furtherance of the larger obejectives of empowerment, poverty and health. I argue that by ingoring this potential and actual resource(in some instances) the impacts of MFIs and or credit in many impact assessments either underestimate or overestimate depending on whether women's networks are fostered or destroyed through the pressures of loan repayments and or the design of the project itself. I will be grateful if others can provide their views on this. I will also be grateful if you can point to relevant literature on this or any related articles. Regards, Fuseini, UK

Dear friends from the GenFinance e-List,

We want to share with all of you an event that we are promoting.

Today we will launch an initiative that we are proposing to the whole Ecuadorian community, the creation of an "Alliance for Microfinance with a Gender Focus." �This will be a process in which all interested actors can participate.

In due time, we will send you the results of today's event (including some pictures).

Hugs to all from the Middle of the World!!! �In the year of the Bicentennial of the Quito Revolution (August 10, 1809).

MARIA SARA

Spanish Version

Estimad@s tod@s,

Queremos compartir con ustedes un hito importante para nuestro proceso de construcci�n de procesos participados en los temas que nos ocupan.

Hoy lanzaremos una iniciativa a la comunidad ecuatoriana, la creaci�n de la "Alianza para las Microfinanzas con Enfoque de G�nero -AMEG", a la cual hemos invitado a personas e instituciones que tienen inter�s en estos temas.

Oportunamente les estaremos enviando los resultados de la jornada de hoy (incluidas fotos).

Un abrazo a tod@s, en el a�o del Bicentenario de la Revoluci�n de Quito (10 de agosto de 1809).

�

--
Maria Sara Jijon C., LLM
Presidenta, WAM-Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador
Fono (directo): +593.2.323-7957
Movil: +593.8.706-1211
Skype: msjijon
www.linkedin.com/in/msjijon
www.facebook.com/msjijon
www.twitter.com/msjijon
www.sarajijon.blogspot..com/

Please consider the environment before printing this email..

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

From: Getaneh Gobezie <getanehg2002@...>
Subject: RE: REMINDER VERY URGENT Reponse needed by August 7th to promote gender FW: Session Title Selection for the 2010 Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit
To: "Linda Mayoux" <l.mayoux@...>
Cc: anne.folan@..., Thies.Reemer@..., rogaya20@..., tigt8@..., mwarose@..., bukonzojoint@..., Clemens.Wennekes@...
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2009, 12:00 PM

Dear Linda, Thank you very much for this note! I did my part, but sorry for my late reaction -- I didn't have the access for the internete as I am still on field work. I hope Tigist from AEMFI will urge Ethiopian MFIs to react. Getaneh --- On Fri, 7/31/09, Linda Mayoux <l.mayoux@...> wrote: From: Linda Mayoux <l.mayoux@...> Subject: RE: REMINDER VERY URGENT Reponse needed by August 7th to promote gender FW: Session Title Selection for the 2010 Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit To: genfinance@yahoogroups.com, "Anne Folan" <anne.folan@...>, "Thies Reemer" <Thies.Reemer@...>, "roghaya hamza" <rogaya20@...>, "Tigist Tesfaye" <tigt8@...>, getanehg2002@..., mwarose@..., "roghaya hamza" <rogaya20@...>, "Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Cooperative Society" <bukonzojoint@...>, "Clemens Wennekes" <Clemens.Wennekes@...> Date: Friday, July 31, 2009, 10:23 AM Dear all,   So far I have only heard from Sara in Peru (who organised the WEMAN Latin America process) with her suggestions which she has sent to the Summit. The deadline for this is 7th August. Unless people put in their suggestions now, it is very unlikely we would be able to have any really meaningful gender discussions at the Summit – a  missed opportunity. And without inpout from you the practitioners, there is very little that Oxfam Novib or WEMAN can do.   So please organise and circulate to eg AEMFI members from Addis and INAFI/WAM Africa members, copied to genfinance or myself and Thies so we have some idea of how things are going and can then follow up with our contacts in the Summit Campaign.   This is now the really crucial stage. All you need to do is to click on the link below, and follow the instructions, bearing in mind the possibility always of suggesting something specific on gender in the ‘any other suggestions’ box at the bottom of each page. It only takes a few minutes. And numbers will count.   Thanks in advance, Linda           From: Linda Mayoux [mailto:l.mayoux@...] Sent: 28 July 2009 15:34 To: genfinance@yahoogroups.com; Anne Folan (anne.folan@...); Thies Reemer (Thies.Reemer@...); roghaya hamza (rogaya20@...); Tigist Tesfaye (tigt8@...); 'getanehg2002@...'; 'spait@...'; 'mwarose@...'; roghaya hamza (rogaya20@...); Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Cooperative Society Subject: VERY URGENT Reponse needed by August 7th to promote gender FW: Session Title Selection for the 2010 Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit Importance: High   Dear all,   If we want gender to have visibility at the Africa Summit April 2010, we need to do the following:   -          Suggest women’s empowerment or gender as a NEW plenary session. Please come up with your own titles, but copy responses to genfinance and also to me and Thies so we can monitor response. That will help us gauge the impact of any responses you give in our negotiations with the Summit organisers. -          Vote for session 26 on gender equality (seems to move down the list again!) -          Request a gender training under the training sessions.   This is VERY urgent – 7th August is the cut-off date.   Best wishes, Linda     From: Microcredit Summit Secretariat [mailto:info@...] Sent: 17 July 2009 21:32 To: l.mayoux@... Subject: Session Title Selection for the 2010 Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit   Microcredit Summit Campaign Announcement July 17, 2009     Session Title Selection for the 2010 Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit       Click Here to Donate! We are delighted to announce that the Microcredit Summit Campaign and AMFI will co-organize the Africa-Middle East Regional Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils (AMERMS) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from April 7-10, 2010. The Summit will include an opening and closing ceremony, 2 Action Plans presented in plenary, 5 other plenary sessions, a video competition for best innovations in microfinance, 14-21 workshop sessions, at least 4 day-long courses, a set of council meetings, and optional field visits to leading Kenyan MFI's. We are asking for your help in selecting the plenary, workshop, and day-long course titles to be offered. For a full, printable list of the potential titles, see below. Please complete the following survey NO LATER THAN August 7, 2009. Responses received after this date will not be considered. Please do NOT send panelist recommendations at this time; we will solicit panelist nominations after selecting the session titles. Please review the choices of session titles below, then complete the online survey to make your selections. LINK TO SURVEY: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UypLioxdlHdNY7mNnOSMCg_3d_3d   LIST OF SUGGESTED TITLES AND TOPICS PLENARY SESSIONS: There will be up to five plenary sessions at the Summit. In the survey you will be asked to select your top 4 choices from the titles below or suggest a new topic.   Breaking the Rules of Microfinance to Better End Poverty: Innovations from Around the World Viewing and Discussion of Competition Winners: 5-Minute Videos on Innovation in Microfinance (Videos selected will also be shown in relevant workshop sessions.) Factors that Contribute to Exponential Growth: Case Studies for Massive Outreach to the Poor and Poorest The Future of Microfinance: Visioning the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Microfinance Expansion Over the Next 10 Years Commercialization: Overcoming the Obstacles to Accessing Commercial Funds while Maintaining a Commitment to Reaching the Poorest Creating a Positive Microfinance Regulatory Environment to End Poverty Meeting the Challenges: Financial Crisis and Liquidity Problems; Price Fluctuations in Food and Fuel Prices The Critical Role of Microfinance in Securing and Sustaining Peace Using Microfinance and People's Own Initiatives to Ensure Sustainable Development (Energy, Water, Environment) Microfinance in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: What Is the Cutting Edge Using Microfinance to Promote Public Health: Micro-Insurance, Health Education and Other Initiatives Microfinance and Urban Development: Slum Improvements and New Settlements WORKSHOPS: You will be asked to select your top 14 choices from the titles below or suggest a new topic..    Innovations in Reducing Costs and Enhancing Productivity What Works for Microfinance in Rural Areas with Lower Population Densities Transformation of Microfinance Operations from NGO to a Regulated MFI Microfinance Investment Funds: What is the Role for Foreign Direct Investors and Are We Measuring both Financial and Social Performance? Overcoming Regulatory and Legal Constraints to Savings Mobilization Five Cents a Day: Innovative Programs for Reaching the Destitute with Microgrants, No-interest Loans and other Instruments Using Research Findings to Improve Design of Products and Services Corporate/MFI Partnerships that are Profitable for the Corporation, the MFI, and the Clients Microfinance in Urban Slums Effective Micro-Insurance and Micro-Health Insurance Programs to Reduce Vulnerability Transparency in Interest Rate Pricing and Other Efforts Toward Consumer Protection Innovations and Challenges in MFI Ratings Accessing Loans and Grants from Bi-lateral and Multi-lateral Agencies for MFIs How MFIs Can Best Work in Competitive, Saturated Environments Impact of HIV/AIDS on Microcredit and What is Being Done Innovations in Information Technology for the Clients and the MFI Lessons Learned in Improving Replicability of Successful Microcredit Programs -How Can the Best Models 'Travel' Better? Reducing Extreme Poverty: A Deeper Discussion of the Cutting Edge on Cost-Effectively Measuring Movement across the $1/Day Threshold With Transformation to Regulated MFI, What are the Models of Ownership that Protect Social Mission? Microcredit & Crop Agriculture: How to Make it Work Remittances: What are the Challenges and What are the Opportunities? How MFIs and their Clients can have a Positive Impact on the Environment Building Wealth through Leveraging Local Capital: the Cooperative Experience Expanding Impact: Innovations in Cost-Effectively Integrating Microfinance with Education in Health The Floodgates are Open: Channeling the Flows of Funds for Microfinance Effectively How Microfinance can Better Contribute to Gender Equality Making Microfinance Matter for Clients and Their Families: Ensuring a Social Performance Bottom Line in the Industry Good Practice in Business Development Services: How Do We Enhance Entrepreneurial Skills of MFI Clients? How to Monitor and Improve Client Retention Microcredit in Post Conflict/Conflict, Natural Disaster, and Other Difficult Settings Commercial Bank Participation in Microfinance: Options and Opportunities Best practices for National and Regional Microfinance Networks Microfinance for Housing The Power of Small Business Networks: From Marginality to Opportunity Micro and Small Enterprises and Trade Policies Innovations in Microenterprise Development in Industrialized Countries Regulations that Enable a RobustMicrofinance Market  Technology: A Strategic Tool for Competition in Microfinance Saving is a Human Right: Dealing with the Problem of Savings Mobilization Regulations Reaching 100 Million: Lessons Learned From the Past and What we Need to Know In Reaching 175 Million  Twinning Sustainable Tourism and Enterprise Development to Alleviate Poverty, Foster Biodiversity Conservation, and Promote Economic Growth Energy Lending:  Access to Modern and Renewable Energy Internet and Mobile-Based Lending Models:  Status and Trends Advocacy for the Poor:  How MFIs Can Influence Governmental Financial & Domestic Policy Microfinance as a Platform for Other Services Meeting the Challenges: Financial Crisis and Liquidity Problems; Price Fluctuations in Food and Fuel Prices The Critical Role of Microfinance in Securing and Sustaining Peace Using Microfinance and People's Own Initiatives to Ensure Sustainable Development (Energy, Water, Environment) Microfinance in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: What Is the Cutting Edge Using Microfinance to Promote Public Health: Micro-Insurance, Health Education and Other Initiatives Microfinance and Urban Development: Slum Improvements and New Settlements Expanding Commercialization Responsibly: Reflecting on the Compartamos IPO DAY-LONG COURSES: You will be asked to select your top 4 choices from the titles below or suggest a new topic.   Learning to Plan for Institutional Financial Self-Sufficiency While Reaching the Poorest Families Learning to Cost-Effectively Assess and Manage Social Performance in Microfinance Learning to Sustainably Integrate Microfinance and Education in Health Entering the Field: Learning the Basics of Starting a Microfinance Program Establishing an Appropriate Legal and Regulatory Environment for Microfinance Institutions: A Policy and Programming Tool Obtaining Funds from New Financial Instruments Introduction to Using the Tools to Measure Movement Above the US$ 1 a Day Threshold Learning to reach the "Ultra Poor" with microfinance. Training Materials MFI Members Cutting Edge MIS Systems  LINK TO SURVEY: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UypLioxdlHdNY7mNnOSMCg_3d_3d   Forward email This email was sent to l.mayoux@... by info@.... Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Microcredit Summit Campaign | 750 First Street, NE, Suite 1040 | Washington | DC | 20002