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Intellect

Microfinance expert plans BYU lecture March 22

The future of microfinance will be the subject for a lecture presented by John Hatch, inventor of the Village Banking Model, Thursday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in 111 Ezra Taft Benson Building at Brigham Young University.

Admission is free, and the public is welcome.

The event will be sponsored by the BYU Economic Self-Reliance Student Association.

Hatch’s famous model has been instrumental in establishing small lending institutions called “microlenders” in cities around the world that are run by members of the community. The institutions provide small loans to qualified persons to begin businesses or get out of extreme debt. Hatch is the founder of FINCA International, which has loaned more than $5 billion in the past five years. He hopes to continue his research and work addressing the problems communities and governments in underdeveloped countries face.

The Economic Self-Reliance Student Association seeks to promote self-reliance among families by aiding in research efforts, teaching socially-minded practitioners how to better serve their clients and providing effective solutions to domestic and global poverty.

For more information, contact Todd Manwaring at (801) 422-1781.

Writer: Elizabeth Kasper

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Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU Photo

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