Unemployment figures have reached tragic levels – in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s – in some of the world’s worst hit economies. In response, many humanitarian groups are moving towards projects that create jobs. Global Hand has put together a listing of organisations involved in microenterprise development and small to medium enterprise (MED/SME) to help.

Please find following a few of the organisations and resources from the MED/SME page.

• Business Professional Network (BPN)
  http://www.bpn.org
  An organisation that connects western world business resources with needs and opportunities in the developing world. Also provides training to nationals in business principles and integrity, and assists and encourages other organisations working in the same field. This organisation is a Global Hand Charter Member and attended the Global Hand consultation in Budapest.
• Christian Transformation Resource Center (CTRC)
  http://allanreyes.com/ctrc-cmed/
  CTRC helps development organisations through microenterprise programs, and seeks, on a global and regional scale, to facilitate the distribution and sharing of information and services needed by the microenterprise sector.
• Grameen Bank
  http://www.grameen-info.org
  The Grameen Bank, a microenterprise agency, has had a huge positive effect on poverty since its beginnings in Bangladesh in 1976. Among other things, Grameen lends small sums to very poor women for economic projects of their own, and has enabled over two million Bangladeshis to start their own businesses. The website includes information on the program, the areas in which they operate and the people involved, as well as detailing models for micro-credit lending.
• Heifer International
  http://www.heifer.org
  Heifer International aims to alleviate poverty by providing appropriate livestock and training to small-scale farmers worldwide. So Heifer offers microenterprise solutions for families in poverty around the world, enabling them to provide for themselves.
• Opportunity International
  http://www.opportunity.org
  An international non-profit organisation using microenterprise development in the global fight against poverty. Opportunity is committed to solving poverty instead of merely treating its symptoms. It provides loans and basic training in business practices for the poor, to help them break the cycle of poverty. This site provides links to Opportunity organisations in individual countries.
• Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network
  http://www.seepnetwork.org
  A network of US organisations operating micro and small enterprise projects in the developing world. The site contains an extensive collection of links and a large collection on microenterprise publications.
• The Integra Foundation
  http://www.integra.sk
  The Integra Venture is a network of community economic agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. They offer practical and professional help for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. They provide finance and entrepreneurial training to help the poor climb out of poverty. They also promote practical marketplace ethics and corporate social responsibility, thus helping to strengthen civil society, democracy and the free market economy in these countries. This organisation attended the Global Hand consultation in Budapest.
• The Micro Enterprise Development Program of “Filadelfia”
  "Filadelfia"is a Micro-Enterprise Development agency that has provided financial support and encouragement to entrepreneurs from Moldova for the last four years. This organisation attended the Global Hand consultation in Budapest.

You can view these resources and more in our library .

Please let us know if you have any suggested additions for these pages.

Global Hand has a particular commitment to help Micro Enterprise Development & Small to Medium Enterprise.

Note: Perhaps you want to investigate the effect your goods may have on the local economy? If so, you might be interested in checking out our listing of articles , MED/SME libraries and other resources from research institutions and news agencies.