Microloans offer a way out of poverty

To succeed in business, you must start with something. Sheer will does not give an aspiring businessperson money to buy supplies.

World Concern believes in its microloan programs. We have seen how people seize the opportunities loans provide. We currently offer loans in Haiti, Bangladesh and Bolivia and center our focus on loans to women.

Microloans usually begin quite small, some are just $65.

Read more about microloans

A mother escapes financial peril

“I had given up hope of surviving in this world with my two children,” said Bangladeshi mother Jotsna Begum.

She and her husband Farid initially had a happy marriage and were content with one son and one daughter. But then Farid became addicted to drugs. Soon their family had no income at all, and they struggled to put food on the table.

Read story

World Concern village banks empower Kenyans

When you make a dollar a day, it's difficult to bear to pay six dollars to ride into town dozens of miles away just to visit a bank.

That's the situation men and women in Kenya face in some of the rural communities where we work. Because it's not feasible to bank in town, people hide money in their homes. With that comes the risk of losing it in a fire or being robbed.

To meet the unique needs of these remote villages, World Concern helps rural communities in Kenya form village banks. We - and the customers - are pleased with how they work.

Find out how these banks have attracted thousands of customers.

Photos from around the world

Protecting savings and expanding small businesses

• Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $1.25 per day
• 1.4 billion people (one in four) live in extreme poverty
• Extreme poverty is most common in Sub-Saharan Africa, SE Asia and Central America, areas where we work
• More than 5 million people live in Bangladeshi slums
• 45% of people in Bangladesh live in poverty
• 60% of people in Bolivia live in poverty
• Money lenders on the streets of Bangladesh may charge 50% to 100% interest annually on microloans
  • UNICEF, World Concern, CIA "The World Factbook"

 

Success in lending and repayment

• In fiscal year 2008, World Concern estimates it will lend $1.4 million in microloans in Bangladesh
• An estimated 3,400 clients will receive microloan services in Bangladesh in FY 2008
• Loans range from less than $100 to more than $2,000
• Repayment rates for microloans and loans through village banks generally range from 95%-98%
• Women have grown businesses to employ as many as 14 other workers, allowing other women to provide for their families
• The primary function of microloans is to develop and expand small businesses by purchasing supplies such as fabric and equipment for fish farms
• African village banks are intended to be a place for savings, though they do provide some loans for seeds and farming
  • Source: World Concern