One of the greatest areas of concern re aid shipments is the impact on the local economy. It is possible for well meaning donors to flood a local market, adversely affecting manufacture and employment.

We are currently researching documentation that will help us develop appropriate standards for Global Hand users. Examples include resources such as the following.

Feedback? We would be grateful to hear from you if you have:

• Relevant resources
• Comments or suggestions or stories
• Stories of product unwisely/wisely placed.

Please email us at enquiries@globalhand.org.

Resources

Global Hand is in the process of gathering resources such as the following.

MicroLinks
http://www.microlinks.org/
MicroLinks is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) initiative to give technical and financial assistance, to support research and training on best practices in microenterprise (ME) development and finance. The goal of MicroLinks is to provide microentrepreneurs, particularly women and the very poor, with more reliable access to financial and business development services to improve enterprise performance and household income. The project consists of five components, which are responsible for areas such as best practices, accessing the impact of ME projects, technical assistance, and financial assistance.

Virtual Library on Microcredit GDRC
http://www.gdrc.org/icm/
Published by The Global Development Research Center, this library collects together articles, conference reports, case studies, microcredit organisations, and other publications on microcredit issues.