Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “#Microfinance”
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 …
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 …
Whole Planet Foundation’s annual Field Officer Awards for the Latin American region were distributed in August 2020. This special honor is designed to go to a Field Officer who has gone above and beyond his/her role to provide financial services to low income entrepreneurs . Often, award nominations are submitted …
After five consecutive years of declines in the national poverty rate, the United States is expected to experience a spike of approximately 6.5% (from 12.4% to 18.9%) in 2020. This means an increase of over 21 million individuals living in poverty, resulting in the highest poverty level in the United …
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every one of our microfinance partners in different ways. The experience of this twin economic and health crisis differs from person to person, family to family, community to community, country to country. The Whole Planet Foundation team has been checking in with microfinance partners throughout …
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 …
Last month I went Cote D’Ivoire to visit WPF long-time microfinance partner PAMF, who administers group microloans to rural entrepreneurs and farmers. This visit allowed me to observe the initial roll-out of a new mobile phone-based platform that WPF provided grant funding to help build. The platform will allow anyone …
This year, we are bringing you People Power Microcredit, a newsletter series that goes behind the scenes to show you the incredible people driving our mission forward. You’ll meet volunteers, Field Credit Officers, Whole Planet Foundation Team Members, and others dedicated to eradicating poverty and empowering entrepreneurs. This month, meet …
“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 …
In Nigeria, where Whole Foods Market sources ginger, Whole Planet Foundation offers scale capital to the agriculture social enterprise Babban Gona. Babban Gona is working to make rural farming profitable for smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria. Their founder, Kola Masha, started the business to engage young Nigerians that have increasingly …
