Global Brigades United Kingdom

MicroFinance Brigades at London Business School (LBS)

Microfinance Brigades volunteers work with a local network of community banks to empower rural communities by establishing community banks and teaching community members basic financial literacy. Volunteers provide rural communities with the educational, financial, and organizational resources necessary to sustainably drive their own economic development. By partnering with the in-country Global Brigades team, Microfinance Brigades provides the financial backing and technical support to create and strengthen independent Community Development Funds. As mechanisms for social and economic change, these funds are then empowered to perpetuate other community projects facilitated by Global Brigades. A 10 Day Microfinance Brigade provides volunteers with the opportunity to gain first-hand micro lending experience and perpetuate the movement to alleviate poverty world-wide. Volunteers participate in real micro-lending transactions and also engage in the daily lives of the actual borrowers. Volunteers learn about microfinance by participating in seminars from local professionals, and by shadowing loan officers as they visit micro-entrepreneurs in their communities. Volunteers empower community members to reach their potential with basic educational workshops and a capital investment that the volunteer personally delivers. Each volunteer is allotted $150 (£100) from their program contribution to work with community microentrepreneurs and banks to determine how to allocate their loan. In this way, volunteers are able to directly empower local community members to achieve their financial goals.

29 Members of this chapter

Microfinance Brigades at London School of Economics (LSE)

Headquarters for Global Brigades in the United Kingdom. Global Brigades UK was founded in 2009. GB UK volunteers have participated in a variety of Global Brigades programs in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana. However, with the recent expansion of GB to Ghana, UK volunteers have began to focus more of their brigades to Ghana, focusing on the the Medical, Microfinance, and Water Brigades programs. In 2010, GB UK grew from 35 brigaders to 80 brigaders, then in 2011 grew to 242 brigaders and in 2012 442 brigaders travelled around the world to take part in brigades. GB UK hopes to double the number of brigaders in 2013. Below are the current universities with Global Brigades chapters.

0 Members of this chapter

Microfinance brigades at Queen Mary's University

Headquarters for Global Brigades in the United Kingdom. Global Brigades UK was founded in 2009. GB UK volunteers have participated in a variety of Global Brigades programs in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana. However, with the recent expansion of GB to Ghana, UK volunteers have began to focus more of their brigades to Ghana, focusing on the the Medical, Microfinance, and Water Brigades programs. In 2010, GB UK grew from 35 brigaders to 80 brigaders, then in 2011 grew to 242 brigaders and in 2012 442 brigaders travelled around the world to take part in brigades. GB UK hopes to double the number of brigaders in 2013. Below are the current universities with Global Brigades chapters.

0 Members of this chapter

Microfinance Brigades at St. Andrews University

Volunteers on a Microfinance Brigade spend seven days in a rural community of Honduras. Prior to the brigade, GB staff trains community leaders who act as the executive board members of the community bank called the Caja Rural. Throughout the brigade, volunteers divide into groups where they visit several families in their homes. During the community visits, volunteers develop an understanding of the families’ ways of life, aspirations, and financial literacy. Following the visits, the students hold a community meeting about the Caja Rural focused on topics such as budgeting, savings incentives programs, and loans. At the end of week, students determine how they will allocate their CIF(community investment fund), whether it may be to an individual family or a lump sum donated to the Caja. One of the major advantages of the GB microfinance model is that the Cajas Rurales are entirely owned and operated by the communities. Therefore, all of the community members have the opportunity to benefit collectively, and the students work directly with individuals empowering them to become more financially stable and establish economic growth within their communities.

7 Members of this chapter

Microfinance Brigades at University of Bath

Global Brigades is the world’s largest student-led health and sustainable development organization with varied membership that spans North American and European universities. Through Global Brigades, student and professional volunteers empower communities in developing countries with sustainable solutions that improve quality of life and environment, while respecting local culture. Since 2004, more than 30,000 volunteers from over 800 university clubs have traveled to provide health and economic development solutions to more than 600,000 beneficiaries in Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua.

0 Members of this chapter

Public Health Brigades at London School of Economics

Public Health Brigades at London School of Economics is a discipline of Global Brigades, the world's largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. The LSE chapter systematically works with more than 300 other university groups around the world to deliver and implement one of nine skill-based programs that benefit more than 130,000 Honduran, Panamanian, and Ghanaian community members annually. Public Health Brigades is a program within Global Brigades. Public Health Brigades empowers rural Honduran communities to prevent common illnesses through in-home infrastructural development, community leader training, and health education.

1 Members of this chapter

Public Health Brigades at LSE

Global Brigades is the world’s largest student-led health and sustainable development organization with varied membership that spans North American and European universities. Through Global Brigades, student and professional volunteers empower communities in developing countries with sustainable solutions that improve quality of life and environment, while respecting local culture. Since 2004, more than 30,000 volunteers from over 800 university clubs have traveled to provide health and economic development solutions to more than 600,000 beneficiaries in Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua.

0 Members of this chapter

Public Health Brigades at Manchester

Headquarters for Global Brigades in the United Kingdom. Global Brigades UK was founded in 2009. GB UK volunteers have participated in a variety of Global Brigades programs in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana. However, with the recent expansion of GB to Ghana, UK volunteers have began to focus more of their brigades to Ghana, focusing on the the Medical, Microfinance, and Water Brigades programs. In 2010, GB UK grew from 35 brigaders to 80 brigaders, then in 2011 grew to 242 brigaders and in 2012 442 brigaders travelled around the world to take part in brigades. GB UK hopes to double the number of brigaders in 2013. Below are the current universities with Global Brigades chapters.

0 Members of this chapter

Referred Patient Campaigns

This program assists with necessary medical care that falls outside the scope of brigades and the referral program facilitates the entire process of administering this care. First, a Global Brigades physician identifies patients on brigades who need follow-up care. Second, depending on the nature and severity of the needed care, Global Brigades will either immediately take patients to the hospital or assist in the process of scheduling the necessary health services. Then the referral program raises funding for the care and ensures the patient is able to access it.

3 Members of this chapter

SOAS-Water+Microfinance

Headquarters for Global Brigades in the United Kingdom. Global Brigades UK was founded in 2009. GB UK volunteers have participated in a variety of Global Brigades programs in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana. However, with the recent expansion of GB to Ghana, UK volunteers have began to focus more of their brigades to Ghana, focusing on the the Medical, Microfinance, and Water Brigades programs. In 2010, GB UK grew from 35 brigaders to 80 brigaders, then in 2011 grew to 242 brigaders and in 2012 442 brigaders travelled around the world to take part in brigades. GB UK hopes to double the number of brigaders in 2013. Below are the current universities with Global Brigades chapters.

0 Members of this chapter