When Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for their work in micro-credit, they drew attention to the way in which small things can have

Browse the 2007-08 International Charities

an enormous impact. Making tiny loans (no collateral required) to Bangladeshi women for whom this would mean the beginning of a family-sustaining business, was hailed as a visionary idea. This year’s Catalogue profiles one organization whose work is part of the micro-credit movement: in 2006 it made 12,000 micro-loans of $50 to $300 to shoemakers, soapmakers, farmers, and shopkeepers who formed lending groups in which members guaranteed each others’ loans. The small loans became small businesses that in turn fed and clothed families and marked the beginning of a new life for all. A second group featured here works in the micro-enterprise field, training individuals to create businesses that solve problems in environmentally sound ways. Small loans and small businesses; huge consequences for families and communities. And the same can be said for the other nonprofits we feature. Each works in its quiet way to solve a problem invisible on our part of the globe: providing technology capacity for grassroots organizations in Africa, boarding school scholarships for nomadic children, basic needs and business skills for destitute families and orphaned children, and even opportunities to play together for children from warring countries. Muhammad Yunus demonstrated to the world that the small can be mighty; let these small but inspiring groups prove it to you.