HONOLULU (August 20, 2009) – Many developing nations are now using microfinance as a means to reduce poverty.  On Tuesday, September 1, the East-West Center (EWC) will host a public forum on “Microfinance as a Tool for Community Development” in the EWC Gallery featuring presentations by the following international development experts:

Kalpana Sankar, Ph. D., Chief Executive Officer of Hand in Hand. Sankar is head of Hand in Hand, a charitable organization based in Tamil Nadu, India, focused on education, elimination of child labor, and empowering women.  She also leads the Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Reduction Project, part of the World Bank lending program, and is currently an advisor to the South African government’s microfinance program.
 
Kathleen E. Stack, Vice President, Program Development, Freedom from Hunger. Stack develops programs and partnerships that strengthen and expand the delivery of Freedom from Hunger’s integrated financial, educational, and health protection services to the poor. She is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Global Financial Education Project, a program that aims to provide the poor with knowledge and skills to manage, protect, and build their assets.

Co-sponsors of the event include the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, Friends of the East-West Center, and the University of Hawai’i – Women’s Studies Program.  Registration is 6:00 p.m. with a reception; the program will follow at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $12 for co-sponsor members and $15 for non-members. The deadline for reservations is Monday, August 24. Parking is available at the UH Manoa upper campus for $5.

For reservations or more information, call the East-West Center at (808) 944-7111 or register on-line at eastwestcenter.org/event/2193 .

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The EAST-WEST CENTER is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States. Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region.