Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Asia and the Pacific”
Since 2012, Lorina had worked at her own tourism business, selling souvenirs to tourists, particularly those who would arrive on cruise ships to Port Vila. Lorina joined Whole Planet Foundation’s microfinance partner South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) Vanuatu in 2017. She had previously been involved with a different microfinance program, …
Photo above pictures a field officer from NWTF, a Whole Planet Foundation microfinance partner, consulting with a NWTF member following Typhoon Yolanda, in Tacloban, Philippines. Repeating daily affirmations, aloud and silently, has been an important practice for me since I was young, when I began to learn how to not …
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of WPF’s microfinance partners have faced increasing demands from clients for both loans and savings withdrawals. At the same time, many clients have faced difficulties in making repayments on their existing loans due to slowed business activity and/or travel restrictions and lockdowns. In response to …
One of India’s first responses to the COVID crisis was a strict lockdown from late March through May. During this period, government guidelines restricted movements, especially across jurisdictions. This in turn directly limited the ability of the staff of WPF’s partner, CASHPOR, to move across their operational area (rural areas …
Kalpavriksha is one of the newest social enterprise partners in our Asia/Pacific portfolio. Kalpavriksha belongs to Pollinate Group and its sister organization, Asha Kiran, operates in India. Whole Planet Foundation (WPF) typically supports organizations who use financing as a means of supporting entrepreneurship for low income communities. Kalpavriksha’s program adds …
During this year’s Financial Inclusion Week, Accion’s Center for Financial Inclusion asks, “Financial Inclusion for What?” In other words, what are the main goals that financial inclusion is striving to achieve? Whole Planet Foundation (WPF) has been a unique capital provider in the financial inclusion space for almost 15 years. …
Whole Planet Foundation’s funds are provided to our partner microfinance institutions (MFIs) to be distributed to borrowers as microloans or in-kind productive assets (like cows, sewing machines, or solar lamps). For most of our partners, the loan is given in a “credit-plus” context. This means that the MFI would provide …
“Microfinance has always been a high-touch business, with personal contact playing an indispensable role in the delivery of financial services for low-income clients. Human relationships and values like trust and empathy are crucial in determining whether a microfinance institution (MFI) will be able to grow and remain sustainable. And it …
Spotlight on WPF’s Bold, New Partnerships According to Women’s World Banking, “Women in Bangladesh have the highest-ever rates of literacy and employment, and the country’s economy is growing. Financial inclusion now stands at more than 50 percent, nearly doubling in the past few years. But the financial inclusion gender gap …
According to The World Bank, approximately 20% of the world’s population does not have a toilet in their home. Cost can be one challenge for a household. According to CGAP, “In Indonesia, for example, connection to piped water systems averages $150, while a flush toilet can cost around $250. For comparison, …
