O Microcrédito: mais uma Panaceia?

Abstract

Micro-credit is an instrument to promote the initiative and entrepreneurship of people who despite of the fact that live in particularly difficult situations and to whom access to normal credit is denied by the financial system show the capacity to grow a small business with relative success. Through the promotion of employment and care for these people’s self-esteem, micro-credit promotes more inclusive and hence more participative, more sustainable and more competitive societies. Micro-credit originates in the 70’s, under the dedication of Prof. Mohammad Yunus, who in 2006 received the Nobel Prize for Peace. This prize calls the attention to the fact that in the origin of lack of peace is the persistence of several injustices, among which the lack of the right to credit is only one of them. In Portugal, the movement rose in 1998 under the leadership of the ANDC (National Association for Credit Right). Since it started working, it has helped to create 625 small businesses and more than 730 jobs with only a total reimbursable credit of 2,73 million Euros. This shows us that in the Portuguese society there is still much to do so that it becomes more competitive and more inclusive.