Microfinance is an approach to economic development that provides the entrepreneurial poor with access to small loans–generally between $50 to $200–that are used to run “microbusinesses.” These loans help to lift people out of poverty in a sustainable way by enabling their previously-unattainable business objectives to come to fruition.
The clients of WHI’s microfinance institutions (MFIs) are treated as business partners rather than charity beneficiaries.
WHI’s microfinance initiatives have been a smashing success thus far, benefiting more than 70,000 people in four countries.
