Mission Statement
The Boulder Institute will seek to reduce the vulnerability of the world’s poor to life’s shocks, and provide opportunities for them to grow their income generating activities by advancing the understanding of the use, role, methods, and impacts of the provision of financial services.
Perspective on Microfinance
At the Boulder Institute, we believe that financial sustainability is a pre-condition for microfinance institutions to attain their goals in terms of broad and deep outreach.
We maintain our focus on commercial banking for the poor, while recognizing the importance of subsidy in assisting microfinance institutions to develop their mission.
Professional Development… the “Boulder” Way
Boulder programs lie in the middle ground between the skills training courses offered by capacity building initiatives, and the academic courses offered in university level management schools.
From this position, they build skills, challenge preconceptions, and at the same time incorporate academic materials to support ongoing strategic and policy discussions. During the past 12 years, the Boulder MFT has served as a meeting ground for leaders of both the practitioner and the academic communities in a way that has enabled them to sharpen ideas, tools, and pedagogical materials.
Many Boulder alumni have gone on to play an important role in developing leading organizations in the field, and in disseminating the principles of best practice microfinance. In this way the Boulder Institute’s programs fulfill a critical role as a catalyst in the transformation of the microfinance industry.
Boulder programs offer time and space to exchange experiences with the widest possible group of peers, and to transform long held perceptions and beliefs. In their place grows an awareness of a broader range of alternative views, experiences, and possibilities to consider. Most importantly, graduates form a long lasting community of peers – kindred spirits with whom they maintain contact for many years.
The foundations of Boulder programs are:
Submitted by jennifer on Thu, 2006-05-04 13:41.
