Hello Everybody,
         I thought I would start this blog by writing a bit of background about myself. My name is Chris Temple, i'm a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College and I live in Stratford Connecticut. Most importantly, I love to travel, play sports (especially soccer and tennis), and have an irrational fear of sharks. My parents are both British, so I have dual citizenship, and I have two older brothers who are 26 and 27. My family has encouraged me from a young age to travel internationally by fostering my curiosity and providing me with the opportunities to explore. I owe them everything.
         I am also obsessed with microfinance and social business. If we can run a business that is sustainable, make a living, and help people at the same time,  why wouldn't we? I got really interested in the field during a gap year between high school and college. I traveled for 4 months around Latin America, hiking, playing soccer,  living with families in indigenous communities, and learning spanish. While living in these communities and reading the End of Poverty, a White Man's Burden, and The Bottom Billion, I recognized how ineffective well-intentioned charitable donations can often be. As a result I applied for a job in microfinance, an industry I didn't even know existed a month before.
       I began working for the start-up Grameen America in Queens, New York, before helping Grameen Trust start new operations in Mexico and Colombia and  representing Grameen America at an international conference in Bangladesh. Since starting at Claremont McKenna, I have been working with Zach and eight others on a start up non-profit online organization called MFI Connect (www.mficonnect.com), that is designed to provide people, especially students, with opportunities to get involved and learn more about microfinance. Now I say the word microfinance between 10-15 times a day, and my friends and family are probably very sick of hearing about it.
        Ok, so that was a lot of rambling but it might give you a sense of who I am. I also really love cheese quesadillas. Alright I'm out.
Feel free to ask any questions below, funny or serious, and ill see if I can answer them.

anonymous
6/3/2010 04:01:58 pm

i hope by cheese quesadillas you actually mean huevos fantasticos...

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Ariana
6/13/2010 12:34:40 am

Chris this is absolutely wonderful!I am so excited you are doing this. I wish you nothing but success and will support you and this cause in any way I can :)

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Ian
6/16/2010 08:39:26 am

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Ian
6/16/2010 08:40:29 am

Out saving the world, but doesn't even know the right age of his older brother...

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Chris
6/22/2010 01:43:50 am

How old are you then?

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Ian
6/22/2010 03:03:29 am

Really? I'm gonna let you figure that one out. And give us more posts already, I'm on the edge of my seat here.

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Justartison
6/25/2010 04:26:02 pm

wait.. You go to Claramont? WOW! That's where my brother goes!!!(i dont know if you know him but still-->) Sorry small world.. I know this is probably really late for a comment like this but Oh well!
You guys are doing an amazing thing! stay strong!
~Nat justartison

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Tori Nee
6/30/2010 08:27:47 pm

Chris!

Just wondering, how old are you?

And does this trip cause you to miss part of your Junior Year of college?

AND How are you surviving without watching the FIFA World Cup?!?? I guess not watching soccer on such an important, life-changing experience is understandable, but I'm just curious to know how life has changed from the repetitive and regular to the unexpected and exhilarating.

Thanks again for posting all your blogs and the videos on Youtube. I think it will broaden the minds of people around the world about the greatness of micro-finance.

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11/12/2010 02:02:40 am

Wow, you guys are doing a really good job!☻

Microfinancing is something that I've never heard of.How can someone get into the microfinance industry? I think I may want get involved once I'm old enough. :]

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Chris
11/28/2010 08:15:33 am

Nancy, check out and join MFIconnect.com if your interested in learning more about Microfinance.

Tori, everyone in the world watches the world cup no matter how poor. We would watch it with a group of 25 others crowded around the windows of stores in town when we had to go in to buy food. :)

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