The Yin and Yang of Microfinance: Reaching the Poor and Sustainability

In microfinance today the split continues between those in the “poverty” camp and those in the “sustainability” camp. A frank examination of the premises beneath each set of views can reduce the level of miscommunication. Perhaps the debate can gradually become a source of creative tension that helps drive the field forward. In that spirit, this article attempts to sort through the thicket of issues, from the point of view of someone who is avowedly in the sustainability camp, but with strong sympathies for the poverty camp.