Leslie Forman
Leslie is Wokai's Marketing Director. She is looking forward to January 20, 2009 and she cross-posted this article on Social Actions.
Yes, there is at least one connection between these three words. Her name is Nancy Barry.
A trailblazer in the field of Enterprise
Solutions to Poverty, her current work focuses on creating pragmatic
ways for large corporations in China, India, Mexico, and Colombia, to
create opportunities for the working poor in these countries. For many years she was the President of Women's World Banking, an international microfinance network.
I just came across this article from an Indian finance website, describing her role as a close advisor to Barack Obama.
Named
one of the most powerful women in the world, Nancy M. Barry, 59, the Founder
and President of Enterprise Solutions to Poverty and former President of the
New York-based Women's World Banking, is no stranger to the limelight. Known
to be a close confidant and friend of the Obama family, she is now expected
to play a key role in shaping the new US regime's relationship with India and
Indians. President-elect Barack Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, worked with her
as the first policy change manager of Women's World Banking, from 1992 to 1995.
Says Barry: I see in Obama many of the qualities of his mother: the capacity
to get to the heart of the matter, the ability to get different factions to
work for common cause, and a passion to work together in building economies
that work for the majority.
I am so excited to hear that she will be closely involved with the Obama administration. I first learned of her connection with Obama from this New York Times article, which describes how Obama's mother's globetrotting work in anthropology and microfinance shaped his worldview. Nancy Barry describes Stanley Ann Dunham as "a very, very big thinker,” who "was not afraid to speak truth to power."
I met Nancy in October 2007, when she gave a speech at AmCham
Shanghai's
Corporate Social Responsibility Conference & Awards,
which I helped to plan. Here's a description I wrote from that event:
In her keynote address, Nancy Barry, of Nancy Barry Associates -- Enterprise Solutions to Poverty, argued that companies should move beyond philanthropy to create enterprise solutions to poverty. Drawing from more than 30 years of experience in emerging economies, she urged the audience to move away from “Random Acts of Kindness” and mobilize core capabilities to connect low-income people with global growth. “The biggest problem,” she said, “is that poor people don’t have enough money.” To address this, she described four key areas of activity: engaging small farmers as suppliers, creating decentralized distribution channels, developing products to increase income, and building enterprise networks.
In China, she has worked with China Mobile, Mengniu (a milk company), Proctor and Gamble, and several other companies. Here's the presentation she gave at AmCham Shanghai on October 30, 2007. Download Nancy Barry 10.30.07
I am optimistic about the roles that Enterprise Solutions to Poverty and microfinance may play in Barack Obama's foreign policy decisions.
*Note (added 1/16): Microfinance Gateway referenced this post here.
Great Work, Great Article!
Proud to have our "Youth Investors And Givers" involved with the Kiva.org microfinance non-finance.
Tony Searight &
Youth Investors
www.tonysearight.zoomshare.com
Posted by: Tony Searight | January 04, 2009 at 07:35 PM
Interesting. Never thought Barack Obama had such ties to micro lending.
Incidentally, check out this social lending idea on change.org: https://www.change.org/ideas/view/solving_the_credit_crisis_from_the_bottom_up
I've been a believer of the concept and voted for this cause when I found out about it. Maybe Obama will hear about social lending right after inauguration if this makes it to the top 10.
Posted by: Lemons | January 05, 2009 at 12:34 PM
My mom, being old school, clipped this article from Newsday and mailed it to me. It quotes Nancy Barry.
"Obama's mother, Hillary Clinton shared a belief"
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usclinton1228,0,7695564.story
Posted by: Meghan Gill | January 08, 2009 at 04:41 PM
@Tony, Thank you for your kind words!
@Lemons, great idea! I'll vote for it.
@ Meghan (and Mrs. Gill!)
Thanks! That's a really great article! It's amazing to hear that Obama's mother connected him with Hillary Clinton before the election divided them so publicly.
Posted by: Leslie Forman | January 08, 2009 at 05:55 PM