_______________________________________ Leading aid agency CARE International UK has launched www.lendwithcare.org - an innovative microfinance website aimed at transforming the way people give.
Members of the public can lend from just £15 directly to a chosen individual in the developing world to help them start or improve a small business. This enables people from poor communities to earn income, send their children to school, feed their families and gain economic independence as their business grows.
Lendwithcare.org is the first major UK site of its kind to harness the expertise of one of the world’s biggest international development organisations.
CARE has a long history of creating successful and innovative microfinance programmes. Last year CARE’s economic development programmes helped more than nine million people, mostly women, gain access to credit, acquire skills to start or expand their business and improve their income.
CARE’s Microfinance Advisor, Ajaz Khan, explains the advantages of a system based on CARE’s many years of experience in the field: "Lendwithcare will allow more entrepreneurs in developing countries to access loans to establish and expand their businesses. In recent years microfinance has become a commercial business as it has become apparent that providing poor people with financial services can be profitable. Larger financial intermediaries such as banks are downscaling and are now providing microfinance services, while smaller financial intermediaries such as non-governmental organisations are upscaling and becoming for- profit entities and even banks themselves.
“As the microfinance industry becomes more commercial, mainstream and oriented towards profit, there is the real danger of mission drift as microfinance providers focus on less poor clients. By providing our partner microfinance institutions in the field with a relatively constant, secure and cheaper source of funding, we can ensure they maintain their original focus on poorer entrepreneurs."
CARE International UK Chief Executive, Geoffrey Dennis said: “CARE’s innovative solutions have already helped thousands of people – especially vulnerable, marginalised women – to find sustainable ways to earn a decent living. But the real potential of microfinance is still to be realised. Most of the world’s poorest families have no access to financial services – and little hope of lifting themselves out of poverty. That’s why CARE set up lendwithcare.org.“
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Oxford Microfinance Initiative
The Oxford Microfinance Initiative is a student-run organisation that provides pro bono consultancy services to microfinance institutions worldwide. We aim to assist microfinance institutions and projects in conducting research and developing innovative development solutions.
What can OMI do for you?
OMI consists of over 140 undergraduate and postgraduate students, who recognise the potential of microfinance in alleviating poverty, and share a strong desire to contribute to this influential and rapidly growing field. We are looking to assist your organisation in carrying out both quantitative and qualitative research through impact assessments, feasibility reports and strategic consulting. Whatever the aims and objectives of your project or organisation, we believe that we can bring the experience, flexibility and commitment required to succeed in furthering your research. Furthermore, we are able to draw on volunteers from a wide range of academic disciplines, in order to tailor project teams to your specific needs.
We are able to undertake a wide range of projects and deliver with a high degree of quality and professionalism. As a pro bono consultancy, we can be a key partner with your organisation without incurring any costs on your behalf.
Our Projects
Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI)
Evaluating the feasibility of investing in Islamic Microfinance for Luxembourg's fund industry
Prospéritas Microfinanzas
Identifying the best strategy to scale up and achieve financial sustainability without experiencing mission drift
Microloan Foundation UK
Surveying market opportunities and regulatory frameworks for expansion into Zimbabwe
Our Partners
We are part of the Student Microfinance and Development Initiative (SMDI), a registered charity with autonomous branches in LSE, UCL and Warwick, as well as partner organisations in Spain and the United States.
We would be happy to discuss your needs and outline a research proposal for your organisation. If you would like further information and would like to contact us, email
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Shivia Microfinance is a UK-based charity that aims to lift communities out of poverty by providing appropriate training and loans to start sustainable enterprises. The interest from the loans is kept as low as possible to cover the training, transaction and admin cost of the loans. Once the loans are repaid borrowers can either take out larger loans or new loans can be made. Shivia works in India and Nepal, both in rural and urban areas. Currently, the charity works through local partners which Olly Donnelly, the Executive Director, knows well. The partners provide the community outreach and local knowledge whilst Shivia provides the funding, financial and management controls as well as other capacity-building assistance. For more information, please see www.shivia.com
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Arcubus is the City of London Social Investment Fund, raising GBP1m for microfinance in Africa. Arcubus offers everybody the opportunity to donate or invest in support of a portfolio of complementary microfinance programmes in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya administered by our partners; Opportunity International, Five Talents, Microloan Foundation and Microfinance Without Borders. The Arcubus fund has a unique structure which, we hope, will become a model of effective collaboration between microfinance practitioners, donors and investors. “Invest in Life”.
The Arcubus film can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNW9HUSIZBg.