Reaching Entrepreneurs in Somalia through Partnership with KIMS Microfinance

Zoe SoFoundation News, Microfinance Partners, The Middle East and North Africa

Whole Planet Foundation is excited to announce our new partnership with KIMS Microfinance in Somalia! Our three-year, $300,000 project with KIMS will support an estimated 1,000 microentrepreneurs through the group business loan product. This project is Whole Planet Foundation’s first with outreach in Somalia beyond the Somaliland region. Financial services …

Celebrating International Widows Day in Egypt with Global Fund for Widows

Whole Planet FoundationMicrofinance Partners, The Middle East and North Africa

For over a decade, the United Nations has been observing June 23rd as International Widows’ Day. This day serves as a wonderful opportunity to draw attention to the voices of widows and their experiences. This year, the Global Fund for Widows (GFW) is pleased to celebrate  International Widows Day with …

“Faftai!” Covid Revival Loans Finance Kava Micro-Entrepreneurs in Vanuatu

Claire KellyAsia and the Pacific, COVID-19, Field Team Blogs, Microcredit, Microfinance Partners

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, …

Digging Deep: A Celebration of Asia-Pacific Field Officers in WPF’s Portfolio

Stephanie ManciagliAsia and the Pacific, Field Officer Awards, Microcredit, Microfinance Partners

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 …

It’s Not All Fun and Games… But Sometimes it is: Gamification and Game Theory in Microfinance

JP KloningerField Team Blogs, Microcredit, Microfinance Partners

To alleviate poverty on a large scale is serious business. There is nothing funny about the living conditions of too many people around the world who struggle to make ends meet for themselves and their families. However, despite its popular connotation implying having fun, the word ‘game’ has at least …

two women farmers in their field

An Examination of Philanthropy, Bias, and Local-Led Initiatives for Development

Zoe SoMicrocredit, Microfinance Partners, Sub-Saharan Africa

There are some deep biases embedded in philanthropy and aid. These biases favor channeling resources to international and expat-led companies over local organizations. Some startling numbers which illustrate this trend include: “Less than 2% of all humanitarian funding goes directly to local NGOs, despite them taking the lion’s share of …

Mobile Money Ensures Continued Success Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis in Uganda

Whole Planet FoundationCOVID-19, Microcredit, Microfinance Partners

For three entrepreneurial women business partners in Uganda, the emerging COVID-19 crisis posed an immediate threat to their newly started business. Pictured above, the three entrepreneurs, Nancy, Lilly, and Irene stand on their business premises in Patira East Village. After successfully completing a training program in December 2019 with Whole …