Inhibitors to Success: Health
Inhibitors to Success: Health
and the high cost of health treatment are detrimental to individuals and families in the developing
world. Therefore, it is not surprising that illness and death of family members are among the most
common reasons why microfinance participants remain mired in poverty, default on their loans
and/or drop out of a microfinance program. According to a survey of Zakoura Microcredit
Program, problems beyond clients’ immediate control, which were most frequently an illness or a
death in the family, were the principal cause of client drop out in 28.6 percent of cases in one
sample.10 In a study of long-term clients of the Grameen Bank by Helen Todd, ill health was the
key factor differentiating those families that had emerged from poverty and those who had not.
She writes: “[A] serious illness in the family…almost always forced them to liquidate assets in
order to pay for medical treatment and/or keep the family afloat… The disaster of illness struck
ten of the 17 Grameen Bank families who are still in the poverty group, or 50 percent. Among
the families who are no longer poor…only 18 percent...[had] been hit with a serious illness.11
While the figures above are alarming, they are not surprising. Illness and injury are
common drivers of bankruptcy in the developed world as well. According to a 2005 study
conducted jointly by Harvard Medical School and Harvard Law School, approximately half of all
individuals declaring bankruptcy in the United States cite illness and medical bills as the primary
factors leading to bankruptcy.12 The major difference between these two groups (borrowers in
developed countries and microfinance borrowers) is one of vulnerability. For an individual in a
developed country, bankruptcy can be an enormous life challenge leading to significant lifestyle
changes. But developed countries have safety nets and established legal and social
infrastructures such as bankruptcy laws, as well as other public and private institutions that help
people to get re-established and get back onto their feet. In developing countries, these types of
infrastructures and programs either do not exist or are limited in their reach. Therefore, for a microfinance borrower living on one to two dollars a day, illness can lead to hunger, deprivation,
or even death.
Microfinance: A Platform for Social Change
by Marge Magner
March 2007
Grameen Foundation
Inhibitors to Success Health - To learn more about this author, visit Grameen Foundation's Website.
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The loss of income due to sickness and incapacitation of a borrower or a family member,
and the high cost of health treatment are detrimental to individuals and families in the developing
world. Therefore, it is not surprising that illness and death of family members are among the most
common reasons why microfinance participants remain mired in poverty, default on their loans
and/or drop out of a microfinance program. According to a survey of Zakoura Microcredit
Program, problems beyond clients’ immediate control, which were most frequently an illness or a
death in the family, were the principal cause of client drop out in 28.6 percent of cases in one
sample.10 In a study of long-term clients of the Grameen Bank by Helen Todd, ill health was the
key factor differentiating those families that had emerged from poverty and those who had not.
She writes: “[A] serious illness in the family…almost always forced them to liquidate assets in
order to pay for medical treatment and/or keep the family afloat… The disaster of illness struck
ten of the 17 Grameen Bank families who are still in the poverty group, or 50 percent. Among
the families who are no longer poor…only 18 percent...[had] been hit with a serious illness.11
While the figures above are alarming, they are not surprising. Illness and injury are
common drivers of bankruptcy in the developed world as well. According to a 2005 study
conducted jointly by Harvard Medical School and Harvard Law School, approximately half of all
individuals declaring bankruptcy in the United States cite illness and medical bills as the primary
factors leading to bankruptcy.12 The major difference between these two groups (borrowers in
developed countries and microfinance borrowers) is one of vulnerability. For an individual in a
developed country, bankruptcy can be an enormous life challenge leading to significant lifestyle
changes. But developed countries have safety nets and established legal and social
infrastructures such as bankruptcy laws, as well as other public and private institutions that help
people to get re-established and get back onto their feet. In developing countries, these types of
infrastructures and programs either do not exist or are limited in their reach. Therefore, for a microfinance borrower living on one to two dollars a day, illness can lead to hunger, deprivation,
or even death.
Microfinance: A Platform for Social Change
by Marge Magner
March 2007
Grameen Foundation
Inhibitors to Success Health - To learn more about this author, visit Grameen Foundation's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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