By Agustín Zamora Mariclere Alvarez was halfway towards a communications degree at a private university in Mexico when her parents told her they could not pay for her education anymore because of financial difficulties. Alvarez would have dropped out had it not been for FINAE, a Mexican financial institution that provides college loans to low-income students. “I felt … [Read more...] about Student Loans Targeted to the Poor
DEO
Sustainable Energy for Argentina’s Norte Grande
By Alberto Levy Since mid-2000, Argentina has undertaken a historic and comprehensive strategy to promote sustainable development in the Norte Grande region, one of the poorest areas in the country. The centerpiece of the strategy is to provide prompt, good-quality, and low-cost sustainable energy that can improve the competitiveness of businesses and spur new economic … [Read more...] about Sustainable Energy for Argentina’s Norte Grande
Guyana Devises Tailored Solutions in Low-Income Housing Program
By Ophelie Chevalier Improving the quality of life is not always as simple as it may seem. Understanding particular circumstances and putting programs in place that respond to actual needs required seeing the big picture. Take the case of Leoni Hinds, a 41-year old widow and single mother of three in Georgetown, Guyana. She used to live in her brother’s house, but a family … [Read more...] about Guyana Devises Tailored Solutions in Low-Income Housing Program
Solar power plants in the chilean desert
By Elizabeth Robberechts The Atacama Desert is among the driest regions on earth, with minimal cloud cover and high levels of solar radiation, making it the ideal place for Chile to harvest solar energy. To help the country tap into this potential, the IDB and the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in the Americas are providing long-term financing to build the … [Read more...] about Solar power plants in the chilean desert
Lending and Green Financing for Small Businesses in Colombia
By José Juan Gomes, Álvaro Concha, María Netto Nearly all of the estimated 1.6 million businesses in Colombia are micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Across the board, if you ask owners of these firms what the biggest challenge is to grow their businesses, the answer is almost unanimous: access to credit. Growth of MSMEs is critical to the Colombian economy … [Read more...] about Lending and Green Financing for Small Businesses in Colombia