Dialogue Program
The main objective of the Dialogue Program is to provide exposure to participants to the basic philosophy of the Grameen system of micro lending to the poor and its practical operation in the field.
The Grameen Dialogue Program was started in 1989. Since inception, the Dialogue Program has been playing a very significant role in promoting and strengthening the microcredit movement across the world. The main objective of the Dialogue Program is to provide exposure to participants to the basic philosophy of the Grameen system of micro lending to the poor and its practical operation in the field. Through the hands-on innovative immersion program, the Dialogue provides the opportunity to participating individuals or organizations that are either presently engaged in providing micro credit or intending to undertake the micro credit program in the near future to gain insights into the operational experiences of Grameen Bank. During various interactive sessions included in the Dialogue Program, the participants share their observations and experiences in the field. It provides an excellent platform to establish an informal network amongst the present and the prospective microcredit service providers not only for exchanging of ideas but also for sharing their field experiences, functional and operational constraints, future plans and other issues related to micro credit and poverty alleviation.
The 55th Grameen International Dialogue Program was held on November 1-12, 2008 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This dialogue program was jointly organized by Grameen Trust, Grameen Bank and Grameen Foundation U.S.A. It was a special dialogue as it was designed as a forum, where potential replicators, microcredit practitioners and representatives of different NGOs from Arab world could gain a deeper understanding of Grameen microcredit program as well as share their ideas, viewpoints and experiences of implementing credit programs in their own countries. A total of 22 participants from nine countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, USA and Yemen took part in this program.
As per the requirement of the dialogue program, the participants spent most of their time in various branches of Grameen Bank. They gained very clear understanding of Grameen credit delivery mechanism, as they had the opportunity to observe group formation, loan supervision, loan activities of the borrowers, attend center meetings, visit borrower's houses and know about their life stories. They also had a better grasp of the Grameen Generalized System and different financial products of GB, such as Loan Insurance Scheme, Grameen Pension Fund, Struggling Members Program etc. They had the opportunity to interview Grameen field staff, including Zonal Managers, Bank Managers and Center Managers to clarify their queries.
On their return from field visits, the participants shared their experiences and had intensive discussions with senior staff of Grameen Bank to fully understand the Grameen credit system. They expressed high satisfaction with the overall quality of the dialogue program and the opportunity that it provides to learn the system of Grameen credit. At the end of the program, each participant proposed action plans on how to implement or support microcredit programs in their respective countries.