NYUMI
New York University Microfinance Initiative (NYUMI) at Wagner
In an effort to mitigate poverty and respond to a host of other social ills (i.e. gender disparity), microfinance promotes entrepreneurship while providing an array of financial services for those at the bottom of the pyramid. It is this unique ability to combine social impact with financial services that align microfinance with Bridge’s mission to explore the intersection of the public, non-profit and private sectors.
The New York University Microfinance Initiative (NYUMI) aims to address the issue of financial access through Microfinance and takes a holistic, educational approach in doing so. NYUMI’s board consists of representatives of Bridge and the International Public Service Association (IPSA) at Wagner and the Emerging Markets Association (EMA) and Social Enterprise Association (SEA) at Stern. These alliances provide the NYU community with a richer and more comprehensive array of professional and educational microfinance activities and opportunities.
Lora du Moulin is Bridge’s NYUMI representative. A native New Yorker, she majored in Latin American Studies at Boston College, and spent a year abroad in Chile. Upon graduation she volunteered at an orphanage in Brazil and studied Portuguese. With a former classmate Lora then established a telecenter promoting education and entrepreneurship in a rural high school near Bogota, Colombia. In 2006, Lora headed to Switzerland to intern at the World Health Organization, followed by employment at the Swiss Microfinance Foundation, RAFAD. Lora provided management information and consulting services to microfinance institutions and researched the link between microfinance and women’s reproductive health and empowerment for UNFPA. At Wagner, Lora is specializing in international studies and finance and is currently interning at Women’s World Banking. Looking ahead, Lora is interested in promoting financial access to combat poverty and developing sustainable, innovative solutions bridging health and microfinance. Contact Lora at loradumoulin@gmail.com.
Katie Hale is NYUMI’s First Year Representative. A West Coast native, Katie graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oregon. After graduation, she lived in Ecuador where she worked as an editor and writer for a start-up travel guidebook company. For the past three years, she has worked as a financial journalist covering the power and energy markets on a global level based in New York and Buenos Aires. Now, in a career shift, Katie is specializing in international policy and management at Wagner and is especially interested in how human rights and environment issues intersect with women’s empowerment in Africa and Latin America. She is currently interning at Women’s World Banking and can be reached at halekathryn@gmail.com.
