John Hatch

John Keith Hatch (born November 7, 1940) is an American economic development expert and a pioneer in modern-day microfinance. He is the founder of FINCA International and the Rural Development Services (RDS), and is famous for innovating village banking, arguably the world’s most widely imitated microfinance methodology.

Childhood and Family Hatch was born in 1940 in Pullman, Washington. His father, a college professor, could trace his ancestors back 14 generations to the first Pilgrim baby born in the New World. His mother, born in Costa Rica, had ancestors which included an authentic conquistador, a railway-builder, and a co-founder of Pan American World Airlines

Education and early career After high school in Massachusetts and a BA in History from Johns Hopkins University, in July 1962 Hatch joined the Peace Corps for a 2-year tour of duty in Colombia. Trained as a "community development" volunteer, he was assigned to a semi-urban barrio known as Hoyo Sapo ("Frog Hole") on the outskirts of Medellín. There, he helped organize the community to construct sewer lines, streets, a community center, library, soccer field, and a footbridge. It was also in Medellin that he became fluent in Spanish, embraced Latin culture, and was first exposed to severe poverty, infant malnutrition, and illiteracy. Little did he realize at the time that he had just embarked on a career of service to the world's poorest families that would continue uninterrupted for the next four decades of his life.

Quotes "Of course, our work is far from done. Yet considering current growth trends, I know that by the time I retire over 200 million households worldwide will have been benefited by the poverty vaccine of microfinance and/or village banking . What I also know is that my grandchildren will inherit a world where severe poverty has been abolished."

Publications by John Hatch Innovations from the Field. A Daringly Brief Summary of a Huge Phenomenon. By John K. Hatch & Sara Levine, Pathways Out of Poverty. Innovations in Microfinance for the Poorest Families. Kummarian Press (2002) Poverty Assessment by Microfinance Institutions: A Review of Current Practice. By John K. Hatch & Laura Frederick, Development Alternatives, Inc. (1998) Our Knowledge: Traditional Farming Practices in Rural Bolivia Vol:1 Altiplano Region., Vol.2 Temperate Valleys, Vol. 3 Tropics, By John K. Hatch, (1983) MSU rural development series. By John K. Hatch, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University (1980) An Evaluation of the AIFLD/HISTADRUT project proposal to assist peasant federations in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. By John K. Hatch, Rural Development Services (1977) A Report on the National Association of Honduran Peasants (ANACH). By John K. Hatch, Rural Development Services (1977) Group farming in the Dominican Republic. By John K. Hatch, Rural Development Services (1977) Strategies for Small Farmer Development, vol. 1. By Elliott R. Morss, John K. Hatch, Donald R. Mickelwait, and Charles F. Sweet, Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press (1976) The corn farmers of Motupe: A study of traditional farming practices in northern coastal Peru (Land Tenure Center monographs; no. 1). By John K. Hatch, Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison (1976)