Improving health with microfinance

In an HND piece that appeared last Monday, I examined how microfinance can be a powerful tool in improving public health.

As one review puts it:

The evidence is instructive in clearly indicating that the addition of health-related programs to microfinance services can change knowledge and behaviors associated with important and measurable health outcomes as diverse as reductions in fertility, decreases in morbidity, abatement of gender-based violence and changes in utilization of health services.

While some of this activity comes through NGOs such as Freedom From Hunger, other microfinance institutions such as Kiva and newcomer Microfundo are also getting into the act.

Read the complete article.