The Women's Bank occupies a one-room building in western India. The teller's counter is an old kitchen table covered with cloth. Bank clerks record all transactions by hand, on yellowed sheets that resemble worn-out telephone books. When I visited in 1995, I saw poor women who had walked 12 to 15 hours from their villages to take out loans — some as small as $1 — to invest in dairy cows, plows or goods that could be sold at market.

The most vivid image that has stayed with ...

( Back to Article )