Brief Description

MicroLoan Foundation empowers poor rural women in sub-Saharan Africa through small affordable loans and free financial literacy & business training. We have supported 200,000 women in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe since 2002, providing 800,000 children with good food security, healthcare and education. We aim to grow our outreach to transform 1 million lives each year.

Vision & Mission

Our vision is a world where all those living in poverty have the opportunity to build better lives for themselves and their families. Our mission is to provide the poorest women in sub-Saharan Africa with the tools and skills to enable them to work their own way out of poverty.

Aims & Activities

Our core activity is a livelihoods programme for poor rural women in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The women on our programme are empowered to set up income-generating businesses to become self-sufficient for their daily needs. The women are encouraged to save regularly to increase their resilience against financial shocks.We measure their poverty status at the start and over time to track if they experience positive changes in their lives, and if they are able to escape poverty. Our Social Performance Management system ensures we are achieving our social mission, and it is recognised as best practice. We also offer our beneficiaries the opportunity to participate in a food security programme. They are taught conservation farming methods and receive high quality seeds and fertiliser as a loan, resulting in better quality crops and higher yields. We work in partnership with other NGOs focused on issues such as girls education and the environment.

Facts & Figures

                            MicroLoan Foundation’s mission is to empower the poorest women in sub-Saharan Africa to work their own way out of poverty. We provide our beneficiaries with free training and small affordable loans to empower them to start income-generating businesses and become self-sufficient for their daily needs. The women use their profits to achieve good food security, to access healthcare, and to pay for their children’s education. By saving regularly the women increase their resilience and it enables them to purchase assets such as a tin roof or a bicycle.We use innovative training methodologies to teach financial literacy and business concepts. Our free training is delivered by Loan & Training Officers in the women’s villages through games, songs, role play and visual aids, as many of our beneficiaries have a low literacy level. The women gain lifelong skills that are passed on to the next generation, which ensures our programme is a sustainable solution to alleviating poverty.
                            

                            Millions of marginalised women in sub-Saharan Africa are striving to create a better, more secure life for themselves and their families. More extreme poor live in this region than anywhere else in the world. Too many women living in remote rural areas lack the resources and opportunities to reach their full potential. MLF supports women because we believe that female economic empowerment is the key to alleviating poverty in remote rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Women here are typically excluded from the local economy and unable to access financial services. They have fewer opportunities for education, employment, asset and land ownership, and control over household financial decisions.The women form self-governing loan groups through which they learn from each other’s business experience. Our livelihoods programme is accessible to even the poorest women as they are not required to have any assets or previous business experience.
                            

Awards

Emerging Practitoner Award by Truelift in 2015

Aspirant Award by Truelift in 2014