Natalie Portman Launches New Banking Campaign to Help World’s Poorest

Monday, April 30, 2007

Female celebrity Natalie Portman, has launched a new campaign to provide life changing loans to women in the world’s poorest countries. Portman’s launch to fame with the Star Wars triology hasn’t put her head in the clouds. Despite a comfortable background before her thriving acting career, Portman has stayed grounded and informed about world affairs. While she could be counting cash from her starring movie roles, modeling and other high profiled and well compensated jobs, Natalie Portman is working to help others, specifically the impoverished.

Called the Village Banking Campaign for the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA), this micro financing initiative aims to launch 100,000 new community banks.

“It’s really trying to reach the poorest of the poor and offering banking services to them, in that they have the access to get capital for loans. They can get insurance. They can get access to things that we don’t even question having access to, “the 25-year-old actress said during an ABC News interview. Portman told George Stephanopoulos, “If a woman can’t tell her child, ‘I can feed you tomorrow, I can pay for your school,” then where do they go? What do they do? What do they choose?’”

Portman recently visited women in Mexico who have been given monetary loans through the FINCA program. Her visit was filmed for a documentary that will be used as part of FINCA’s official launch.

“You meet these women who are younger than I am, who are 20, 22, who have four kids. And they used to have to work in a factory, because that was the only job available in town, for minimum wage, in horrible conditions, and be away from their children all day,” said Portman when describing the conditions she encountered during her visit.

“And then they’re able to get a loan and start their own business out of their own house and be with their children, and make more money than they were before, and spend time with their families,” she said. “And it really, it changes the whole system.”

There was no information given on other issues that have a direct impact on poverty; such as unfair trade agreements; or the movement for debt forgiveness. Also not mentioned is what might happen if these women can not repay their loans.