2007年VOA标准英语-Commercial Micro-Finance Gains Trust in D.R. Co

By Franz Wild
Kinshasa
23 January 2007

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced Tuesday, it is giving $29 million to a German micro-finance bank's Africa division. In Kinshasa, Franz Wild looks at the success of its Democratic Republic of Congo operations.

Congolese woman withdraws money at the first 24-hour cash machine operated by ProCredit Bank, in Kinshasa, Aug 2006

Dozens wait in ProCredit Congo's main Kinshasa branch to open a bank account. Unlike other banks in Congo, anyone can open a bank account, without needing thousands of dollars to do so. And, there are no charges when they withdraw their money from the bank with the only cash machines in Congo.

ProCredit Congo General Manager Oliver Meisenberg says the bank supplies accounts and credit to the poorest people in the country.

"It's for both. It's for the credit side," he said. "We're pretty much the first bank which gives credit to micro-small and mini-size enterprises and anyone can open a bank account with us. Why do we do that? The answer's pretty simple. It's our mission."

ProCredit is owned by several institutions -- both public and private. Although they need to be profitable to satisfy their shareholders¹, they also have another goal.

"Micro-small and medium-sized entrepreneurs is where you strengthen the economy of a country. That's where most of the work is being created. Here in Congo, for example, 80 percent of the economy is with the informal sector," he said.

That may be what explains that, within less than a year and a half of opening its doors in Congo, it manages roughly half of the country's active accounts.

Coiffeuse Jolie Loabese runs a small salon³ in Kinshasa. She has asked for $2,000.

She says she just wants to improve her shop, by buying new equipment and hair products.

Micro-credit is the only way in which she can raise enough capital to significantly expand her business.

Democratic Republic of Congo is still picking itself up from five years of war, which ended in 2003, after nearly four million people died, mainly of disease and starvation.

Development and reconstruction⁴ will be major goals for the new government, when it is named over the next few days.

ProCredit's credit officer has come to Loabese's salon for an inspection⁵, to see whether her income can justify⁶ a loan.

If so, she will join ProCredit's more than 2,500 other loan holders² in Congo.

1 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

2 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

3 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

4 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

5 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

6 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？