Award-winning actress and social activist Natalie Portman addressed a packed Kresge auditorium last night as part of the Social Innovators Series, motivating her audience to fight poverty worldwide through microfinance, an area in which the Hollywood superstar has considerable experience.

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Gus Jewell

Natalie Portman discusses microfinance in front of a packed audience in Kresge Auditorium last night.

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Gus Jewell

Golden Globe Award-winning actress Natalie Portman spoke to a standing-room only crowd in Kresge Auditorium last night as part of the Social Innovators Series. She urged students to fight global poverty through microfinance.

After a brief speech, the actress fielded questions from the audience, which was thoroughly impressed by the Golden Globe Award winner.

Anthony Dick J.D. ‘10 praised Portman’s knowledge and presence during the event, which was sold out.

“It was a riveting speech,” he said, “full of insights about how to implement poverty relief that actually works.”

Laura Weidman MBA ‘09 attended Harvard with Portman and spoke about the actress’ poise, intellect and commitment to fighting global poverty.

“I was impressed — but not surprised — with how she represented her cause, fielded all sorts of questions and came across as genuine for what she believes in, standing in the forefront of what our present generation should be concerned with,” Weidman said.

Since graduating from Harvard in 2003, Portman has served as Ambassador of Hope for the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International), a leading microfinance organization that is committed to breaking the cycle of global poverty.

FINCA has brought financial services to hundreds of thousands of the world’s lowest-income families by providing community-based savings opportunities and distributing small business loans through its Village Banking Campaign.

Since its inception in 1984, FINCA has helped more than 500,000 people overcome destitution and the organization hopes to assist one million people by 2010.

FINCA concentrates on providing socio-economic power to women out of a firm conviction that women’s financial independence helps promote better education, nutrition and medical care while discouraging domestic violence and high birth-rates among individual families.

“It has been absolutely compelling to meet women who are ready to make decisions and break out of financial disenfranchisement,” Portman said. “When you meet a mother who is forced to sign a letter with a thumb print because she can’t read or write and then you meet her daughter who is graduating from university to go to med school, this change all in one generation is simply overwhelming. And it’s only because of microfinance.”

Portman urged the audience to take individual steps to contribute to microfinance organizations through fund-raisers as well as through online donations at www.villagebanking.org.

“The more microfinance organizations are out there, the more competition there is and it serves the interests of the poor,” Portman added. “Microfinance is not charity; it is just widening opportunity for the people who deserve it.”

Portman also urged students to fight poverty by using social-networking technology, including MySpace and Facebook.

Alex McInturff ‘08 said he was thrilled that Portman is using her image to do something productive.

“It was my first major exposure to microfinance,” he said, “and Portman did a great job educating and motivating the audience towards a common goal of expanding opportunity to change the landscape of the world.”