Natalie Portman Hopes Microfinance Will Be More Effective Than The Force At Helping Poor Folk

Natalie Portman wants to use her MySpace diary to end poverty. She’s supporting a campaign to raise $200 million for Finca International, a pioneer in microfinance, the Financial Times reports today.
"I have seen that ending poverty is possible - it is just a mouse click away," Ms Portman said at the campaigns launch.
The Financial Times reports that Portman will contribute a video video diary about Finca for its MySpace page.
“People check their MySpace pages 10 times a day, why not harness that tool to build support for microfinance,” Portman says.
Why not? Perhaps because there is little evidence that microfinance is an effective way to reduce poverty, much less end it all together. Like many claims that begin with the phrase “I have seen,” Portman’s claim to have witnessed the end of poverty is most likely anecdotal evidence at best, if not outright hyperbole.
Portman’s first video is now available on Finca International’s Village Banking MySpace page.
Hollywood joins royalty to seek $200m for microfinance [Financial Times]
Village Banking [MySpace]

Earlier on DealBreaker
As It Turns Out, Lending Tiny Sums Of Money To Poor People May Not Bring Peace or Propsperity: [10.30.06]
More Gratuitous Grameen Bashing [11.9.06]