Dave McClure writes an articulate article (and appeal) for us to invest in microentrepreneurs just like we invest in entrepreneurs in the developed world today.

The working poor all over the world who live on $1-2 a day. Pound for pound, rupee for rupee, they’re the world’s tiniest yet most powerful entrepreneurs. But they’re not in Silicon Valley; the hotbeds of microfinance are in India, Latin and South America, and Africa.

Dave recommends Unitus as one of the most leveraged ways which you can invest in these microentrepreneurs. As of December 2005, Unitus works with 7 microfinance bank partners to serve over 500,000 microentrepreneurs and their families in 3 countries around the world. By the end of 2009, Unitus intends to grow their reach to over 3 million working poor. Read full article.

More details on how to support Unitus

[My family also actively supports Unitus with time and money.]

PHOTO INFO: Photo above is of a microentrepreneur running a tea stand business in a village outside of Hyderabad in India. She used her microcredit loan from SKS (microfinance partner of Unitus) of ~$100 to purchase her tea stand equipment. She paid a bit more for the stand to be mobile (it has wheels) so that she could re-locate as needed to busier areas of her village. Earnings from her tea stand business now now funds her children going full-time to school amongst other things.