Microloan Foundation

The MicroLoan Foundation is a UK-based microfinance charity that gives small business loans to women in Malawi and Zambia in Southern Africa. The main objectives of the organisation is poverty alleviation and gender empowerment, and consequently its main focus has been on the women living in the rural areas, who make up majority of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2014, MicroLoan has provided over £370,000 to over 35,000 clients. With these loans and the business training offered, the women are able to start businesses thereby increasing their household incomes, business profits and assets. The women are also able to take their children to school, pay for medical care and make their families more food secure.

History of MicroLoan

MicroLoan Foundation (MLF) was founded in the late 1990s by Peter Ryan.[1] During a visit to Malawi in 1997, Peter was astounded by the level of poverty in the country and the disparity between the rich and the poor. He recognised a need for extending financial services to the poor in Sub-Sarahan Africa, for whom these services are usually almost impossible to access due to the remoteness of the areas and the clients lack of collateral to secure the loans. These clients are also hindered by their lack of education and business training. With his experience in starting small businesses in Chiswick, Peter started the organisation in Malawi and since then operations have grown and MicroLoan now serves women across Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

How it works

With an estimated, 767 million people around the world living in poverty MicroLoan's vision is a world where all those living in poverty have the opportunity to build better lives for themselves and their families.

They provide women in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe with small loans, business training and on-going support to help them start their own businesses. Over time the money they generate from their businesses helps to ensure food security, improve housing, access to healthcare, and an education for their children.

They want to make finance accessible, no loan is too small. On average a woman in Malawi will take a starter loan of around £50 but some of the smallest loans MicroLoan provide are just £10. The organisation wants to make sure it is reaching those who are financially excluded and for this reason they never ask for collateral or remove vital assets if a client is struggling to repay – they work with help them to find a solution.

MicroLoan Loan & Training Officers (LTOs) travel on motorbikes to rural areas to meet with community leaders. They identify the women who are most in need and have the potential to run a business. These women then form groups (around 15 members) and attend eight training sessions to learn about business principles, like how to budget, market research and profit analysis. Once they have completed their initial eight training sessions they will receive their loans. Every two weeks MicroLoan LTOs will visit the communities to deliver further training to the groups and collect repayments. Each Loan cycle is approximately four months and in this time the women have begun earning a regular income and as a result, can then apply for another loan to help grow their business.

Like the Grameen Bank model, the women take individual loans but have collective responsibility for repayment of each other's loans.[2]With up to 99% of loans repaid, we use the money to help more even women start a business. Therefore, a small investment goes on working time and time again.

The clients are also required to save a proportion of their loans with savings services. This is to provide insurance against future crop failure, family illness and other unpredictable situations. Consequently, this gives them confidence in their ability to weather whatever life throws at them. This is to encourage them to build up capital reserves and increase their economic independence. The amount of savings also determines their loan sizes.[3]

Pro-Poor Pilot Programme

In May 2015, MLF made a commitment to meet the poorest in society; those living on less than $1.25 a day by the end of 2016. This will involve rolling out a pilot programme to 2,700 clients in two branches in Malawi and Zambia.[4] MLF joins 51 other microfinance organisations that have done the same under the Microcredit Summit Campaign. These pilot programme involves changes to how loans are disbursed, increased support to vulnerable clients and access to savings for emergencies. These changes will hopefully help address some of the concerns in the microfinance arena, that microcredit does not always reach the poorest in society.

BBC Lifeline Appeal

On 17 May 2015, MLF was featured in the BBC Lifeline Appeal, a monthly charity appeal that highlights the works of different charities. The organisation's work was presented by Business Leader and Microfinance Advocate, Deborah Meaden.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/who-we-are/
  2. ↑ https://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/what-we-do/
  3. ↑ http://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013_MLF-Annual-Report-and-financial-statements-Final-v1.pdf
  4. ↑ http://100millionideas.org/2015/05/05/microloan-foundation-commits-to-reach-the-poorest-women/
  5. ↑ https://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk/what-we-do/news/deborah-meaden-bbc-lifeline-appeal-may-17th/
  6. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05wdqv0
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