TRANS4M’s Alexander Schieffer was invited by Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, President of Sarvodaya, Channa da Silva, Chairman of the Board of Sarvodaya Development Finance, to share with the Board innovative perspectives on Integral Finance and Banking from around the world. The Board was particularly interested to explore how modern financial instruments can serve the needs of poor and low-income people and at the same time address the needs of entire communities, rather than solely focussing on individuals.
TRANS4M shared examples from its own integral practice, in particular in Africa, on the need and potential for financial institutions to be resonant with the cultural and social context to which they cater; examples were emphasized on how to draw on local cultural wisdom for the evolution of financial services and product lines.
This input seem to come timely, as Sarvodaya Development Finance is actively seeking to strengthen the capacity of its portfolio towards community involvement and community uplifting – thereby building on the authentic heritage of Sarvodaya’s over 60 years of community-centered development work.
