Maria Nowak, Economist and Micro-finance Specialist

This is a very interesting interview, and should be done again in a year or so when it is clear what the effects of the depression/recession, and the growth of for-profit firms taking advantage of poor people.

Melissa does her usual good job of keeping it on track and asking the kind of questions we might ask if knew a bit more.

Even at best then interest rates are staggering, and it would be better if government was involved to keep interest rates low. It is a huge hurdle to have to pay way above "normal" interest rates, and also try to get business started. In today's conditions, a yearly rate of 6% would large, but still much, much, lower than most firms are offering. If this means many loans turn into losses, they may still be a form of education that runs "losses" every year until the students graduate, and become tax payers, paying back the expense of their education.

Thanks to France 24, Melissa, and Maria. I hope we can do this again as we get more experience and conditions change. Every new enterprise has things it does well but can do better, and some it should stop doing at all.