Look To The Stars News: FINCA

Natalie Portman And Zoe Saldana Lend A Hand To FINCA

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:30:00 +0000

FINCA International, a charitable micro-finance organization, is launching a new video public service announcement campaign for FINCA’s online donation community, Lend A Hand, which features spokeswomen Academy Award winner Natalie Portman, and leading Hollywood actress Zoe Saldana.

The PSA campaign is in support of women, worldwide, who are working to create a better future for their families. The PSA videos go live June 10.

Avatar’s Zoe Saldana Raises Her Hand For Haiti

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:30:00 +0000

FINCA supporter and Village Banking advocate, actress Zoe Saldana (Avatar) has seen first hand how small loans are helping 8,000 hard-working Haitian women rebuild their families’ lives after last year’s devastating earthquake.  

Saldana recently filmed a PSA for FINCA where she explains the importance of FINCA’s ‘Hand Up for Haiti Campaign.’

“One year after the devastating tragedy in Haiti, the need to help people get back on their feet is still tremendous,” she explains, “One way you can continue the recovery is by supporting FINCA’s Hand Up for Haiti Campaign. When the quake hit, FINCA first made sure their clients and staff were safe, then they talked with each and every client to assess how they had been impacted. The first thing they did was forgive the loans of 4,500 clients to help protect the remaining assets and enable them to restart their businesses without a debt burden. Today, FINCA is serving approximately 8,000 Haitian clients. Please give generously to the Hand Up for Haiti Campaign.”

FINCA Marks 25th Anniversary With Celebrity Charity Gala

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

FINCA held its 25th Anniversary Event at Capitale last week to celebrate those who have helped the organization create pathways out of poverty for millions of the world’s hardworking poor.

Honored at the event were two members of the board – Academy Award nominee and FINCA Ambassador of Hope Natalie Portman, as well as Philanthropist and FINCA Advisory Board member Soledad Hurst.

Hollywood Starlets To Be Honored For Charity Work

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A host of Hollywood’s most powerful women will be honored by Variety this month for their charity work.

The annual Power of Women luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 30 will honor seven women for their humanitarian efforts: Natalie Portman (FINCA), Amy Adams (Ghetto Film School), Jennifer Garner (Save the Children), Katie Holmes (Dizzy Feet Foundation), Diane Lane (Heifer International), Eva Mendes (The Art of Elysium) and Management 360 founding partner Suzan Bymel (Global Creative Forum).

“By honoring this incredible group of high-profile women who are leading the charge, we hope to inspire and empower everyone within our industry – and throughout the world – to get involved and give back,” said Michelle Sobrino, Variety’s associate publisher.

Natalie Portman Writes Urgent Message About Haiti

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Actress Natalie Portman has posted an urgent message on the FINCA website about the Haitian earthquake.

“The earthquakes that devastated Haiti this week only further the urgency of aid needed by this already-challenged nation,” she wrote. "Haiti is a place where small loans can make a big difference.   

“FINCA Haiti has always held a special place in my heart. Small loans make an enormous impact on the lives of Haitian women currently living on less than $3 a day. And now, more than ever, Haitian women need these capital inputs to help themselves recover from this tragedy in a sustainable way.”

Gwyneth Paltrow Attends FINCA UK Launch

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:00:00 +0000

FINCA International, a leading not-for-profit microfinance organization for nearly 25 years, launched FINCA UK this week, with a little help from Gwyneth Paltrow.

Paltrow was on-hand at a special fundraising evening held in London on Tuesday, December 9, to raise awareness of FINCA UK, which aims to help alleviate poverty by supporting the provision of small loans to the world’s lowest-income entrepreneurs living in the developing world.

The evening raised over $100,000 for FINCA, and was followed on Wednesday by a symposium attended by representatives from major corporations – including GE, British Petroleum, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered Bank – who are involved in microfinance projects around the world. Former UK Trade Minister Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham was the keynote of the Symposium.

Portman Honored for Charity Work

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:30:00 +0000

In Venice for its film festival, Natalie Portman has become the first recipient of the Movie for Humanity Award in recognition of her dedication to humanitarian causes.

This accolade from the Kineo Italian Movie Awards aims to recognize film artists who devote themselves to philanthropy, as Portman unquestionably has. Aside from launching the Village Banking Campaign with FINCA, speaking up for the endangered Rwandan Mountain Gorilla, and highlighting the plight of needy children around the world, she is an enthusiastic supporter of Tacare Girl’s Scholarship Programme of the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania.

The scholarship program, which carries out wildlife research in Tanzania, was established to create opportunities for women’s education and provide access to secondary and higher education, ultimately leading to job opportunities.

A Conversation With Natalie Portman

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Natalie Portman recently spoke about her philanthropic interests with our guest contributor, Marianne Schnall.

Natalie Portman is an Oscar-nominated actress who became an international star with her role as Queen Amidala in the “Star Wars” trilogy. She is an advocate of many social causes and was recently named the first Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that promotes micro-lending to empower women in poor countries by helping them start their own businesses. She traveled to Africa and South America promoting FINCA’s work and in April 2007 completed a documentary about the power of micro-financing to change lives in impoverished countries.

For people who may not be familiar with FINCA, how would you describe the overall goal or mission of the organization?

Natalie Portman - Beauty, Brains, And Heart

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:01:00 +0000

She may have made her name as Luke Skywalker’s mother in Star Wars, and has since gone on to make some of the most interesting art-house films produced in the last five years, but young starlet Natalie Portman is more than just another Hollywood bimbo. Under the beauty lies a brain and heart many people only dream of possessing.

Born Natalie Hershlag in Jerusalem, Israel, to an Israeli father and an American mother, the 26-year-old actress comes from a family with a long history of social and political activism. Her grandfather, for example, was a socialist economics professor of the developing world who set up one of Israel’s first Kibbutzes. It was an atmosphere that left its lasting mark on Portman – she became a vegetarian at the age of eight, and joined an environmental dance troupe at the age of 12.

The star of the Star Wars prequels, as well as independent films such as “Closer” and “Garden State”, is an enthusiastic advocate for animal rights, and refuses to wear products made from fur, feathers, or leather. In 2007 she even launched her own range of vegan footwear, and she has also appeared in a documentary in which she trekked through a Congolese national park in search of the endangered Rwandan Mountain Gorilla.

Natalie Portman teams with iTunes to help FINCA

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:45:21 +0000

Award-winning actress Natalie Portman teamed with iTunes to help the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA).

Portman, who is an Ambassador of Hope for the FINCA organization, was invited by Apple iTunes to produce FINCA’s first charity album. The proceeds from this album will benefit FINCA’s Village Banking Campaign. The album, titled Big Change: Songs for FINCA, is a collection of 16 songs. Some of the artists on the compilation has both old and new tracks from Norah Jones, Tom Brosseau, Sean Hayes, Brett Dennan and many others. It is available now exclusively at the iTunes store for $7.99. The net proceeds will benefit FINCA.

FINCA is an organization that promotes the use of micro-finance to provide financial services to the world’s lowest-income entrepreneurs. In this way they help these entrepreneurs create jobs, acquire assets, and improve their standard of living. Portman has been active in promoting micro-finance for a few years now. She has visited FINCA programs in Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Uganda. She has also taken the message of micro-finance to many schools and organizations by speaking on behalf of the organization.

Natalie Portman Promotes Loans To Women

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:47:51 +0000

In an interview on Sunday, Natalie Portman told ABC’s “The Week” that small loans can change the lives of some of the world’s poorest women.

The actress is a supporter of FINCA, an organisation which provides such loans to individuals in developing countries.

Portman said that she had met mothers younger than her who had no option but to take low-paid jobs in poor conditions.