Penny Revolution
“Penny Revolution” is a series that shows how a small amount of money can transform the lives of the more than one billion people who live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 a day. The magic formula is known as microfinance, a revolutionary method of funding projects in the developing world, considered by many experts to be the world’s most effective anti-poverty tool.
The series profiles borrowers in rural Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Ecuador, as well as the wealthy benefactors who make their dreams a reality, including New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. Born in the Dominican Republic, Minaya understands – perhaps better than most – how the right skills, training and support can be the tickets out of the poverty that afflicts the underprivileged. Minaya’s commitment to raise funds for Esperanza International, a charity whose mission is to free children and their families from poverty and restore their self-worth, puts him in contact with a Dominican mother who dreams of starting a business to support her family and hopes for careers in baseball for her children.
In addition to the series’ main stories, “Penny Revolution” also highlights a housing development project in urban sprawling slums of Nairobi backed by a microfinance institute (MFI); an MFI-supported technology initiative in rural Rwanda; a program for the completely destitute in West Bengal, India, designed to help those too poor to take a loan; and a trip to inspect the unique achievements of the Grameen Bank in rural Bangladesh. Each segment tells the story of one extraordinary borrower and takes an in-depth look at the intriguing spin-offs these particular microfinance endeavors have created.
EP 1 - An Ecuadorian woman and Kenyan entrepreneur get microloans.
EP 2 - Borrowers struggle to launch their businesses.
EP 3 – A Mayan Indian starts an embroidery business.
EP 4 - Marlena needs $130 to start a business in Honduras.
EP 5 - Beatrice, a survivor of Rwandan civil war, becomes an entrepreneur.
EP 6 - In Bangladesh, a woman starts a thriving business with a microloan.
Penny Revolution: Ways to Get Involved
Here are several ways to get involved with the initiatives you’ve seen on “Penny Revolution.”
