in august , james ' company gave yunus ' grameen company 1 . 5 million for a program to extend its microfinance initiatives to 5 fold more of the year ' s impoverished families . three years older , tech billionaire robert mccaw provided 2 billion to start up the grameen technology project , which is running microcredit to finance cheap smartphone service for people in uganda and burundi .
Gates' foundation extends its microfinance programs to 5 million more of the world's poorest families.