March 08, 2012
Student managers from the Tobin College of Business undergraduate
Global Loan Opportunities for Budding Entrepreneurs (GLOBE) Program
were invited to present at the Fiftieth Session of the Commission
for Social Development (CSocD) at the United Nations Headquarters
in New York City on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
The students and Dr. Linda Sama, director of the GLOBE Program,
were invited by the Sisters of Charity Federation and Daughters of
Charity to discuss how GLOBE’s microcredit program promotes social
justice and contributes to systemic improvements in economic
development in impoverished countries.
The Daughters have a long-standing relationship with the College
and work collaboratively with the GLOBE students. Acting as field
partners, they recommend loan candidates, distribute funds and help
collect loan repayments from the entrepreneurs in their
communities. Students manage all the program’s operational details
and set strategy for the program going forward with the guidance of
Dr. Sama and the GLOBE Steering Committee. After the presentation,
the students were given the opportunity to participate in Q&A
and network with representatives from numerous Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs).
"The NGO communities at the United Nations were extremely receptive
and welcoming of GLOBE. Dr. Sama's engaging performance allowed
them to understand the workings and objectives of GLOBE, both as an
academic course offered at St. John's and as a non-profit
organization. Our mission is not only to raise funds to provide
micro-loans to women and men living in extreme poverty but to
create a system of poverty alleviation so that they may live
dignified lives,” said Stephanie Pereira Lima, the current
marketing and fundraising team liaison for GLOBE, as she reflected
on her experience.
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John Kenny, another GLOBE student manager, adds “the
presentation at the U.N was an invaluable and humbling experience.
Sharing the potential of the GLOBE program to implement systemic
change illustrated how much opportunity the Tobin College of
Business presents for its students, just as GLOBE presents so much
opportunity for its borrowers.”
The CSocD is a functional commission of the economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It’s Fiftieth Session of
the Commission for Social Development convened February 1-10, 2012,
focusing on the theme of “Poverty Eradication." The session
included evaluation of significant U.N. plans and programs of
action concerning the situation of numerous social groups. The
Commission’s main directive is to advise the ECOSOC, Governments
and NOGs on social policy issues and the social viewpoint of
development.
“At the U.N., GLOBE student managers were able to have
conversations with people who work daily with the issues of poverty
and social injustice that the GLOBE program seeks to address
through microcredit. It was an exciting and eye-opening
experience for them to present their views in such distinguished
company and at this venerable institution,” highlighted Dr. Linda
Sama, GLOBE founder and director, about the significance of this
opportunity for Tobin students.
GLOBE’s mission is to help alleviate poverty in developing
countries by providing small business loans to entrepreneurs in
impoverished areas who would otherwise not have access to
traditional forms of credit. Simultaneously, GLOBE students learn
about the intricacies of micro-lending policies in the developing
world and the value of business in helping the poor to help
themselves.
About the Peter J. Tobin College of Business
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business has provided a high-quality
business education for over eighty years, offering individuals from
throughout the world the opportunity to study in New York’s dynamic
business environment. The innovative curriculum emphasizes an
analytic and hands-on understanding of business practice that
prepares graduates to excel in today’s global marketplace.
For additional information about the Peter J. Tobin College of
Business, please contact Asia Hauter at (718) 990-6218, via e-mail
at hautera@stjohns.edu or
visit us at www.stjohns.edu/tobin.