MicrofinanceinAfrica:ModifiedDBQ:HSVersion

Prompt:Whichmicroloanshouldourclassfinance?Why?

Yourgoalistoevaluatemicrofinanceloans,andargueforonefortheclasstoinvestin.
Todothis,youwillusethedocumentsprovidedandtheconceptswevecoveredin
classtowriteapersuasiveessay.

Likeinourcasestudies,youressayshoulduseevidencetoevaluate:
Thefinancialstabilityofparticipants
Potentialriskfortheinvestor
Effectoftheloanonthewidercommunity
Ifyoudecidethattheclassshouldinvestinnoneofthesechoices,youshouldstillgo
througheachoftheseperspectives.

Timeline:
_____:FirstDraftDue(20pts)
_____:Inclassrevision
_____:FinalDraftDue
_____:Inclassshowcaseofallfinalpapers,discussionandvote.

MicrofinanceinAfrica:ModifiedDBQ:Grade7Version

Whichmicroloanshouldourclassfinance?Why?

Step1:Readeachmicroloanprofileandannotateasyougo
Step2:Chooseone(1)microloanthatyouthinktheclassshouldinvestin.Circleyour
choicebelow:
1:BeehivesforJosephine
2:GoatsforSamanya
3:SeedlingsforHarrisonsGroup
4:LandforMelissa
5:WeshouldnotinvestinANYofthesemicroloans.
Step3:Gatherandorganizeevidencefromthedocuments,includingtheloanprofile
youchose
Step4:Draftyourargument
Step5:Getfeedback
Step6:Reviseyourdraftandturnitin

Likeinourcasestudies,youressayshoulduseevidencetoevaluate:
Thefinancialstabilityofparticipants
Potentialriskfortheinvestor
Effectoftheloanonthewidercommunity
Ifyoudecidethattheclassshouldinvestinnoneofthesechoices,youshouldstillgo
througheachoftheseperspectives.

Timeline:
_____:FirstDraftDue(20pts)
_____:Inclassrevision
_____:FinalDraftDue
_____:Inclassshowcaseofallfinalpapers,discussionandvote.

HSRubric

ExceedsExpectations

MeetsExpectations

BelowExpectations

Organization
(20pts)

(Meets
expectations
=20pts)

____/20

Essayhasan
introductionwithaclear
thesis
Theintroductionpreviews
theargumentsthatwillbe
usedintheessay
Eachparagraphfocuses
onasinglesubjectthat
supportstheargument
Essayhasaconclusion
Theconclusiongoes
beyondasimple
restatementofthe
argument

Essayhasan
introductionwitha
clearthesis
Eachparagraph
focusesonasingle
subjectthatsupports
theargument
Essayhasa
conclusion

Essaylacksan
introductionor
conclusion
Argumentis
unclearorabsent
Paragraphsare
unfocusedor
confusing.

Conventions
(10pts)

(Meets
expectations=
10pts)

___/10

________

Essayuses
appropriatetoneand
language

Essayismostly
freeofgrammatical
errors

Essayuses
inappropriatetoneor
language

Essayhasmultiple
grammatical
mistakesthatmakeit
difficultto
understand

Evidenceused
(30pts)

___/30

Essayusesdetailsfrom
theloanchosen
Essayintroducesand
usesinformationfrom4
documents

Essayusesdetails
fromtheloanchosen
Essayintroduces
andusesinformation
from3documents.

Essayintroduces
informationfrom
fewerthan3
documents

Analysis
(40pts)

____/40

Essayclearlyevaluates
differentperspectives
Essayexplains
significanceandrelevance
ofevidencetoargument
Essayintroducesa
counterargument

Essayclearly
evaluatesdifferent
perspectives
Essayexplains
significanceand
relevanceof
evidencetothe
argument

Essaydoesnot
evaluate
perspectives
Essaydoesnot
explainsignificance
orrelevanceof
evidence

=______________/100

7thGradeRubric

Developing

Meeting

Claim

Doesnotclearly
answerthequestion
Doesnotgive
reasoning
Doesnotgive
backgroundinformation

Clearly
answersthe
question
Gives
reasoning

Exceeding
Meetsexpectations
AND:

Gives
background
information

Evidence

Doesnotclearly
supporttheclaim
Doesnotusethe
bestpossibleevidence
Doesnotintroduce
andciteevidence
appropriately

Clearlysupports Meetsexpectations
theclaim
AND:
Isthebest
possibleevidence
selected
Allevidenceis
appropriately
introducedandcited

Analysis

Analysisdoesnot
clearlyconnectthe
evidencetotheclaim
Studentrepeats
thesameanalysis
orchoosesatypeof
analysisthatdoes
nothelpexplainthe
evidence

Allanalysis
clearlyconnectsthe
evidencetothe
claim
Avarietyof
analysistypesare
used

Link

Linkdoesnot
summarizetheclaim

Linkdoesnot
provide
additionalfood
forthought

Conclusiondoes
notconciselyand
meaningfully
referencesthe
supportingevidence

Meetsexpectations
AND:

Linksummarizes Meetsexpectations
theclaimand
AND:
providesadditional
foodforthought

Conclusion
conciselyand
meaningfully
referencesthe
supportingevidence

HSexample

Thisisanessaywithasimilarformattotheoneyouwillbewriting:
MelanieBrown
Ms.Dahlin
12/2/2014

ABrightFutureforOurSchool

Ourschoolhastheresponsibilitytomaketheworldabetterplace,onestep(or
lightbulb!)atatime.Tochooseanewwaytolightourschool,weshouldlookat
environmentalimpact,howwellthebulbsactuallywork,andfinallymakesurethecostmakes
sense.Carefulanalysisclearlyshowsthatourclassshouldasktheprincipaltoswitchto
compactfluorescentlamps(CFLs)becausetheywilllighttheschoolbrightly,uselessenergy,
andistheirhighcostwillbeoffsetbyhowmuchmoneywewillhavetospendonelectricity.
WeshouldntjustswitchtoCFLsbecauseotherschoolsaredoingititisclearlytheright
thingtodofortheplanet.
Somescientistssayweshouldchangelightbulbstohelptheenvironment.More
efficientlightbulbsuselesselectricity.Electricityisusuallygeneratedbyburningfossilfuels,
whichcauseglobalwarming.Dr.DoddinDocumentBstatesthatusinglesselectricityby
switchingtomoreefficientlightbulbscandecreaseahouseholdscontributiontoglobal
warmingby22%.Imaginetheeffectofourwholeschoolswitchingtothisoption!Reducing
ourimpactonglobalwarmingshouldbeimportanttotheschoolbecauseourmissionisto
educatedstudentsforthefuture.Whatkindoffuturewilltherebeifthereisglobalwarming?
Dr.DuthinhinDocumentHsaysthatglobalwarmingwillhurtthejobmarketworldwidea
worseeconomywillmakeithardforustogetjobs.Sotheschoolshouldnotjusttrytohelp
theenvironmentbecauseitisright,butbecauseitwillhelpthestudentsoftheschoolinthe
future.
Letsgobacktolookingatthepresent.Thelightbulbwechooseneedstolightthe
schoolsothateveryonecanlearn.AccordingtoDocumentA,CFLsspreadthelightaround
justaswellasthelightswehavenow.Thisismuchbetterthanthenarrowlightgivenbyother
energyefficientlightsaccordingtothegraphinDocumentA,otherenergyefficientlightsgive
lessthanhalftheamountoflight,tthanCFLS.Thislightisimportanttoteachersandstudents
whoworkandstudyintheschooltheirpointofviewisessential.SwitchingtoCFLs,then
wouldnotonlybegoodfortheenvironment,butwouldnotbeanoticeablechangefor
teachersorstudents.
Thecostofthelightsisimportant.Moneyspentonlightingismoneynotspenton
otherthingsintheschool.DocumentCstatesthatCFLsarealmosttwiceasexpensiveasthe
lightbulbsourschoolusesnow.However,DocumentCalsosaysthatCFLslastmorethan
twiceaslongandsaveelectricity.LastinglongerandusingelectricitymeanthattheCFLswill
savemoneyovertime.Thismeansthatthefirstyearwebuythem,theschoolmighthaveless
money,butinfutureyearswewillsavemoneyifweswitchtoCFLsinsteadofkeepingthe
lightswehavenow.
Afterallthis,peoplemightdisagreewithbuyingCFLsbecausewhentheygoout,they
canbebadfortheenvironment.AccordingtoDocumentE,disposalofCFLsthatisnotdone

correctlycancauseevenmoreenvironmentalproblemsthantheysolved.Thisisagood
point,butIbelievethatourschoolhasgoodcustodians,andthatifwegotCFLs,wecantrain
themtodisposeoftheminthecorrectwayDocumentEalsosaysthatprovidingthat
organizationshavetheforesighttoplanaheadintheirCFLdisposal,theycanbe
revolutionary,sothatwhenwedobuyCFLs,weshouldtelltheprincipaltomakeaplanin
advanceforwhentheygoout.
CFLswillcostalotofmoney,buttheywillbeworthit.Inthelongterm,theywillcost
less,givingtheschoolmoneytospendonteachersandsupplies.Theywillalsohelpour
schooldoourparttoreduceglobalwarmingandhelpthefuture.Voteforourclasstoaskthe
principaltoswitchtoCFLsatourmeetingnextweekitjustmakessense.Anddontforget
thatweneedtoaskhertocomeupwithaplanforgettingridofdeadbulbs,too!

MiddleSchoolModel(tobereadandcritiquedasaclassforstrengthsand
weaknesses)
Ms.Terry
12/2/14
Ourclassshouldgiveamicroloanof$10toNicholussGroupthroughKiva
becausetheywillusethemoneytoimprovetheirfarms,strengthenthecommunity,and
helptheenvironment.Nicholussprofiledescribeshowheplanstousethemoney,
sayingthathewantstobuyseedsandfertilizersohecangrowmoremaizeAccording
toDocumentA,maizeisasustainablecropinKenya.IfNicholusgrowsmaize,then
hecanhelphimselfbytakingadvantageofKenyasphysicalgeographywithouthurting
theenvironment,andthisshowsthatheisaresponsiblefarmer.Nicholusisworkingas
partofagroup.XavierGineandDeanKarlanwritethatgroupliabilitymayimprove
repaymentratesonloans(DocC.)ThismeansthatbecauseNicholusispartofa
group,theothersinhisgroupwillhelpmakesurehepaysbacktheloan.Wecanbe
confidentthathewillpayusback.Nicholussprofilesaysthathislifehasimproved,
especiallybecausehehashadahealthierlifeduetobetternutrition(DocB).If
Nicholusslifeisalreadybetterbeforehehasgottenthisloan,thenwithadditional
moneyhewillbeabletosignificantlyimprovehislife,andmaybeusehismoneytohelp
thecommunity.Finally,thegrouphasincludednextstepsintheirplantoshowwhat
theyplantodoiftheyaresuccessful.Theywanttobuyacowandaddsolarlightsto
theirfarms.Thisshowsthattheyaregoingtoberesponsiblewiththeirearningsandwill
keepgrowingtheirbusiness.Iftheycontinuetogrowtheirbusiness,theircommunity
willhavemoremoney.Inconclusion,weshouldgiveamicroloantoNicholussgroup
becausetheywilluseitresponsiblytomakemoneyandhelpthecommunitywithout
hurtingtheenvironment.OneloantoNicholussgroupmaynotbeenoughtoend
povertyinKenya,butifenoughgroupslikethisonegothelp,wewouldbemuchcloser
toachievingthatgoal.

7thgradeloanprofileanalysis

Profilenumber:

Whoisgettingtheloan?

Howmuchmoneyaretheyaskingforintotal?

Howwillthemoneybeused?Answerwithspecificdetails.

Willthepersonpayingfortheloanbeabletopayitback?WritedownatleastONEpieceof
evidencetosupportyouranswer.

Howwilltheloanimpactthecommunity?WritedownatleastONEpieceofevidenceto
supportyouranswer.

Howwilltheloanimpacttheenvironment?WritedownatleastONEpieceofevidenceto
supportyouranswer.

Arethereanyotherconcernsyouhaveaboutthisloan?Explainyouranswer.

Arethereanyotherpositivethingsthatyounoticeaboutthisloan?Explainyouranswer.

7thgradedocumentanalysissheet

Directions:readeachdocumentandannotateitasyougo.Whenyouaredone,takeafew
minutestofilloutthissheet.

Documentletter:

Whowrotethedocument?

Summarizetheirargumentormainideain1sentence.

Doesthisdocumentsupportyourloanchoice?
IfYES,explainhowin12sentences.

IfNO,explainwhynotin12sentences

Whatquestionsorconcernsdoyouhaveaboutthisdocument?

Doyouplantousethisdocumentaspartofyouressay?IfYES,writedownatleastonepiece
ofevidencethatyouplantouseinyouressay.

7thgradeRDgraphicorganizer

Prompt:
Name_______________________________

RoughDraft
Reminder:ThisisONELARGEPARAGRAPH
Element

Claim
Clearlyanswers
thequestion
Givesreasoning

YourWriting:
______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________

Givesbackground

__________

information

___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________

Introduce
theEvidence
Evidenceisnot
quotebombed

______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________

__________
___________________________________________________
__________

Evidence
Clearlysupports
theclaim
Onlybestpossible
evidenceselected
Allevidenceis
appropriatelycited
(Document____)

______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
______________________________________________
_______________
______________________________________________
_______________

Analysis
Allanalysisclearly
connectstheevidence
totheclaim
Doesnotsound
likerobotanalysis
Usesanewtypeof
analysis
o(Thismeans)
o(Thisshows)

o(Thisis
important
because)

______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________

___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
Element

Introducethe
Evidence
Evidenceisnot
quotebombed

YourWriting:
______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________

Evidence
Clearlysupports
theclaim
Onlybestpossible
evidenceselected
Allevidenceis
appropriatelycited
(Document____)

______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________

__________
___________________________________________________
__________
______________________________________________
_______________
______________________________________________
_______________

Analysis
Allanalysisclearly
connectstheevidence
totheclaim
Doesnotsound
likerobotanalysis
Usesanewtypeof
analysis
o(Thismeans)
o(Thisshows)

o(Thisis
important
because)

______________________________________________
_______________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________

Link

______________________________________________

Linksummarizes

_______________

theclaimandprovides
additionalfoodfor
thought

___________________________________________________
__________

Conclusion

___________________________________________________

conciselyand
meaningfully
referencesthe
supportingevidence

__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________
___________________________________________________
__________

Choice1:LoanProfilefromKiva.org
JosephineinMmbale,Kenya
Aloanof$200helpsJosephinetobuybeehivesandapiary(beerelated)
materialsforhoneyproduction.Shewillbecharged7%annualinterest.

JosephinelivesinMmbale,atownnearKakamegaCounty.Kakamega
CountyislocatedinWesternKenyaandisfamousforitsrainforest.Many
farmersintheareagrowmaize,sugarcaneandbananas,withmaize
beingtheprimarycrop.Thedensityoftheoldgrowthtreesinthe
Kakamegaforest,andthevarietyofcropsgrowninthearea,makethisan
excellentareaforbeekeeping.

Josephineismarriedandhassixchildren.Sherunsasmallkiosk.Sheis
afarmeraswell.Shehasbeenfarmingfor13yearsnow,andsheis
currentlygrowingmaize,vegetablesandtea,andshealsokeepscattle.
Josephineisexcitedaboutbeekeeping,asitwillprovideherwithhoney
formedicine.

ThisisJosephine'sfirstloan...sheplanstousetheproceedsfromher
beehivestoinvestinherkiosk.Josephine'shopeforthefutureistobuild
apermanenthouseforherfamily.

Choice2:LoanProfilefromKiva.org
SamanyainOloitoktok,Kenya
Aloanof$575helpsSamanyatobuygoatsandcowsfortrading.Hewill
bechargedaportionofhisearningsuntiltheloanisrepaid.

Samanyaisa45yearoldmanmarriedtoMunken,whoaddsadditional
incometosupporttheirfamily.Theyareblessedwitheightchildren.
Samanyahasbeenalivestockfarmerforaperiodoffiveyears,earning
himselfanincomeofKES.10,000attheendofeverymonth.

SamanyaisnowservicinghisthirdloanofKES.50,000,andintendsto
usethisamounttobuygoatsandcowsfortrading.

Samanyaplanstousetheanticipatedincometopayschoolfeestohis
childrenandhopestohaveabrightfuturewithasuccessfullife.

Choice3:LoanProfilefromKiva.org
HarrisonsGroupinMwahera,Kenya
AportionofHarrison'sGroup's$900loanhelpsamembertopurchase
treefarmplantinginputssuchasseedlings,andpayfortechnicaltraining
andplantingsupport.Nointerestorfeeswillbecharged.

Harrisonisa60yearoldKomazatreefarmer.Heismarriedandhis
spouseisalsoafarmer.Hehas11children,allofwhomareinschool.In
additiontogrowingtrees,Harrisonsupportshisfamilythroughfarming.

HedecidedtojoinKomazabecausehehadunusedlandonwhichhe
wishedtocapitalize.Harrisonplanstospendthemoneyearnedfromthe
Komazatreefarmtoinvestinconstructingrentalhousestoprovidea
steadyincomestreamforeducatinghischildren.Harrisonsfavouritepart
aboutworkingwithKomazaisharvestingcowpeasaspartofthe
shorttermcropsprogram.

Harrisonisthefarmerwithhishandraisedinthephoto.

Choice4:LoanProfilefromKiva.org
MelisafromEldoret,Kenya

Aloanof$3,350helpsMelisatopurchasemorelandforfarming.Shewillbe
chargedaportionofherearningsuntiltheloanisrepaid.

Melisais40yearsold,andowns2acresoflandinTurboVillage,intheEldoret
areaofKenya.Shehasnoformaleducationandhasbeenpractisingmixed
farmingsince2007.AgricultureisfundamentaltoKenya'seconomy.Butitismuch
morethananeconomicactivity.FarmerslikeMelisaarestewardsofKenyas
countrysideandprovidethecitizenswiththeoptionofbuyinglocallyproduced
food.

Melisastartedfarmingin2007afterthecountrysufferedpostelectionviolence.
Withtheunstintingsupportofherhusband,whodedicatedhis2acres,shehas
grownthebusinessdramatically.Shehasacquirednumerousincomegenerating
assets,includingfarmmachinesandaPoshomill,tohelpherrunthefarm.She
keepsdairycattleandgrowssubsistenceandcommercialcrops,suchasmaize.
Shetakesprideinbeingindependentandbeinginvolvedinasectorthatfeedsthe
population.

Themoneyfromtheinvestmentwillbeploughedbackintothebusiness,tofinance
evenmoregrowth.Theadditionalincomewillalsoenablehertorepaytheloan,
buyfoodforherfamily,andpayfeesforherchildrenwhoareinpublicschools.

DocumentA:
ByXavierGineandDeanKarlanFrompovertyaction.org
Anextensivedebateexistsabouttheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofgroupliability,where
agroupofindividualsareallresponsibleforeachothersloansifonememberdefaults,
versusindividualliability,whereonlytheborrowerisatriskiftheydefault.Groupliabilitymay
improverepaymentratesbutitalsoraisesthepossibilitythatbadclientswilltakeadvantage
ofgoodclientsintheirliabilitygroup.
Whileindividualliabilitylendingmayaddresssomeoftheseissues,italsohaspotential
drawbacksintheformoflessintensivescreeningofmembers,andhigherdefaultratesdueto
thelackofmemberresponsibilitytocovergroupmembersloans.Additionally,creditofficers
mayspendmoretimeinsecuringpaymentorusingamoreintensiveandtimeconsuming
creditinvestigationandbackgroundchecks.

DocumentB
byCharlenNemson

In the field, clients seem to prefer individual loans when they can access it. On top of
independence from the group, it often gives more flexibility in terms of amount, maturity,
interest rate, etc. Individual loans are more complicated and costly to offer for MFIs and not
all are able to deliver them. Constraints compared to group loans are the need for a more
thorough vetting of the borrower and the factoring of a higher risk due to the absence of
co-borrowers. As a result, individual loans tend to be larger than group loans, and
sometimes more expensive.

DocumentC
byCAREInternationalUK

Themainreason[togivemicroloanstowomen]isbecausewomenareusuallyoneofthe
mostvulnerableandpoorestsegmentsofsocietyindeedmostoftheworldspoorare
women.Furthermore,ithasbecomeapparentthatinmanyinstancesmicrofinancecan
significantlycontributetowomensempowermentbygeneratingadditionalincomeearning
opportunitieseitherforthewomenthemselvesorforthehousehold.Oncewomenstart
makingmorevisibleeconomiccontributionstothehousehold,thiscanleadtogrowthin
womensselfesteem,selfconfidenceandtheirstatusbothwithinthehouseholdaswellas
thewidercommunity.Eventually,thisprovideswomenwithmorechoicesandagreatervoice
infamilyandcommunitymatters.

MFIsalsotargetwomenmicroentrepreneursbecausestudieshaveshownthatwomenarethe
changeagentsofthefamilysincewomenspendagreaterpercentageoftheirincomeonthe
welfareoftheirhouseholdsthandomen.Asaconsequenceincreasesinwomensincomes
improvethehealth,nutritionalandeducationalstatusofotherhouseholdmembers,
particularlychildren.Moreover,inlongstandingprogrammes,aswomenhavebecome
organisedmicrofinancehasformedabasisforaddressingarangeofotherissuessuchas
domesticviolenceandmalealcoholabuseandinregionswherewomensmobilityislimited
womenhavebecomemorevisibleandarebetterabletonegotiateinthepublicsphere.Itis
alsotruethoughthatMFIstargetwomenbecausetheyhaveprovedtobemorereliable
borrowersandaremorelikelytorepaypromptlythanmen.

DocumentD:
byKabbageSmallBusinessGuides
Itsalsonecessarytoberealistic.Notallborrowersarehonest,andsomeare
simplyouttomakeaquickbuckonthebacksof...lenders.Thereisdefinitelya
shadysidetomicrolendingthatinvolvesindividualspresentingthemselvesas
needyaspiringbusinessownerstosimplycollectloansfortheirownuse.While
mostmicrolendingorganizationsdotheirbesttoweedouttheselessthan
scrupulousapplicants,somedoslipthroughthecracks.And,itcanbequite
dishearteningtofindoutthatyouvebeentaken!

Beforeyoudecidetobecomeamicrolender,itsimportanttohaveagood
understandingofhowyourmoneywillbeloanedoutandtowhom.Youllwantto
alsofindoutwhenyoucanexpecttobepaidbackandwhathappensifthe
borrowercantorwontpaybacktheloan.Itsalsoagoodideatokeepintheback
ofyourmindthatyouarealwaystakingthechanceofnotgettingpaidback.

DocumentE
byKIVA
Inthenonprofitworld,menareoftencastastheaggressors:thedomesticabusers,the
drinkers,theabandoners,leavingorphanedchildrenandsinglemothersintheirwake.No
mattertheirfinancialstatus,theydontappeartoneedhelp.Theyremoreemployable,they
makemoremoneyatthesamejobs,andtheytendtocontroltheirfamiliesfinances.Why
shouldanyonemakeloanstomen,ifthisisthecase?

Thesimpleansweristhatitsoftennotthecase.Beyondthat,somanyofthesocialproblems
wevejusttouchedoneverythingfromgenderinqeualitytochildmalnutritioncouldbe
solvedfasterifmicrofinancebroughtmoremenintothefold.Despiteallthatssaid,andallthe
statsthrownouthereandthere,menmatter.Thedataalsosaysthatemployedfathershave
healthier,moreeducatedchildren.Andthesechildrenaremorelikelytohavehigherself

esteem,getmarriedlater,havefewerchildren,andmakemoremoney.Ontopofthat,men
withstableincomesarelesslikelytoleavehometofindwork,andmorelikelytosplit
householdworkwiththeirpartners,whichnotonlyhelpsthemout,butmodelsgenderequality
fortheirsonsanddaughtersastheygrowupandstarttheirownfamilies.Thisishowchange
ismade.

DocumentF
FromTheEconomist
Profitingfromthepoorcanbewrong,whenlendingispredatorywhenthelenderexpects
thattheborrowerwillbeunabletopaytheinterestorrepaytheprincipal.Compartamos[a
microloanorganization]doesnottargetthepoorestofthepoor:itarguestheywouldbebetter
servedbybenefitssuchasincomesupportfromthestate.Itreportslowdefaultratesandhigh
customersatisfaction.Asforexploitingtheignoranceofsomeborrowers,Compartamossays
itiscommittedtotransparencyoninterestratesandothercharges

DocumentG
FromDeutscheBankUSA
Withmorethanhalfoftheworldspopulationlivingonlessthantwodollarsaday,thereisanurgentneedto
alleviatepoverty.Microfinanceisabusinessapproachtohelpingthepoorbuildtheirwayoutofpoverty,by
providingthepooraccesstofinancialservices,namelycreditandasafeplacefortheirsavings.Microcredit,
theextensionofverysmallloans(microloans)topoorandlowincomeentrepreneurswhocannotaccess
localtraditionalfundingduetoalackofcollateral,oracredithistory,hasproventobearevolutionarymodel
forenablingthepoortorisefrompoverty.
Withcapitaltogrowtheirbusinessesandincreaseearnings,thepoorcaninvestintheirfamilieshealthand
educationalneedsandmakeasignificantimpactonthedevelopmentoftheircommunities.Bymostindustry
estimates,lessthan20%ofthedemandformicrocreditfromtheworldspoorentrepreneursisbeingmet,a
largeopportunityforsocialinvestorslikeDeutscheBanktomakearealimpactbydevelopingfunding
structurestochannelcapitaltothesecommunities.

Middleschoolstudentswillreceivesomeofthesedocumentswithsomevocabulary
modifications,butnotall.Forexample,theywillhaveaccesstoDocumentA,butnotB.
Instead,theywouldlikelyreadsomethinglikethis,fromtheAcumenFund:

AgricultureisthebackboneofKenyaseconomy,withnearly80%ofthepopulation(30
millionpeople)derivingtheirlivelihoodsfromfarming.Meanwhile,averagelandholding
inthecountrycontinuestoshrink,withKenyasaveragefarmsizenowlessthan2.5
hectares(about6acres).ThekeytoeconomicgrowthforKenyassmallholderfarmers
isaccesstogoodsupplies,but36%ofruralKenyanshavenoaccesstoanyformof
financialservices.Withoutappropriatefinancing,supplieslikeexcellentseedsordairy
cowsthatproducemoremilkareoftenoutofreach.

Theywillalsohavebriefexcerptsprovidedtothemoncetheyvechosentowriteabouta
particularloan.Forexample,astudentwritingaboutbeekeepingwouldreadapassagefrom
thissite:://fortuneofafrica.com/kenya/bees/,andsomeonewritingabouttreefarmingwould
readpartof:
http://www.thestar.co.ke/news/article3555/moneygrowseucalyptustreesformerbanker.

Studentswillalsohaveafewmapstoconsider:
Map:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/kenya_veg_1974.jpg
Map2:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/kenya_econ_1974.jpg