live well. give well.
seguir adelante - empowerment, agency and thrift in san pedro sula
Sunday, March 1, 2009
mark regouby and jil janine hellmann
march, 2009
tags: honduras, comfel, microfinance
abstract:
this paper, based on first-person interviews with the members of a honduran savings-led microfinance cooperative, examines how the organization grew out of the devastation of hurricane mitch in 1998 to become a critical force for development in the colonias of san pedro sula. It discusses the role of empowerment and human agency in successful poverty-reduction, and how shared values lead to motivation, resulting in action. the paper closes with a discussion of how the developed world can play a healthy, respectful role in facilitating and encouraging this form of development.