June 13, Brazil—“I am here with two big ears to listen,” said Nane Annan, the wife of Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary General, as she cupped her ears. The 12 women in the room, all of them microfinance clients from the urban slums that encircle Sao Paolo, laughed and relaxed.

June 13 marked the beginning of Mrs. Annan’s international travels throughout which she plans to meet with poor people around the world and hear their stories so she might share them with a wider audience of world leaders during the International Year of Microcredit 2005.

Although Brazil has by far the largest Latin American economy, the percentage of people with access to microfinance is amongst the lowest in the region. In fact, the World Bank estimates that only 2.2 percent of potential microfinance clients are served. Despite this, there are currently 60 million Brazilian microentrepreneurs and they account for more than 60 percent of the urban jobs, and about 21 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

“I used to be a manicurist at a salon,” began Josepha. “I had many financial difficulties. I was put on the list of people who owed money. No one would help me. Then someone suggested I get second hand clothes from the dump, wash them, dye them, iron them nicely and resell them from my home. So I started to do that, but I needed more money to get supplies. The 100 rial loan I was given made it possible for me to make a lot more money and get better supplies.”

One by one the women told their stories and Mrs. Annan asked them questions and offered support for their initiatives.

What the women said they needed was access to safe savings accounts and reliable sources of credit as well as information on how to manage their businesses and budgets. But most of all, they wanted dignity and respect.

One microcredit client said her experience enabled her to provide for herself and no longer depend on what she called Brazil’s unreliable “No Hunger” program.

“I was on the waiting list to receive a basic bread basket [from “No Hunger”], but it never came,” said Marina. “Then I got a loan to start my own business. I was able to make my own money. I traded a government basic bread basket for my own, and left the government’s one for someone else to take.”

Mrs. Annan’s mere presence inspired the women and gave them a sense of empowerment.

“Sitting beside you, I feel so important” Iracy Lopes da Rocha said to Mrs. Annan. “Being poor, I was so ashamed.”

Addressing the whole group, Mrs. Annan said, “we should never forget that when we speak about development, that we speak about the life of Regina, Josepha, Miraci, Iracy, Maria, Francisca, Marina, Vivalda, Judith and Lucijane. We have to continue to make sure that you succeed.”

Client Photo: Ms. Lucijane Maria Barros has one dependent and is an artisan. She received R$100,00 to buy textiles.