Guest blog | Zimbabwean micro-entrepreneurs face additional challenges

Lendwithcare lenders have supported so far over 1,200 Zimbabwean micro-entrepreneurs through our partner Thrive Microfinance. Henry Bartram, Managing Director, explains how Lendwithcare loans are still making the difference for entrepreneurs despite the country’s difficult economic situation. He also shares his concerns with us about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe and its impact on the micro-entrepreneurs.

Guest blog | How hands forge human connections

This blog has been reposted with permission from Michelle Nicol.

Originally posted here.

One hand belongs to a project manager from a prestigious international law firm. The other to an 81-year-old villager and survivor of the most brutal, insidious civil war.

We are in Cambodia. We have cycled from Paksé in nearby Laos, to a small village community near Battambang to see the difference that CARE International is making to people’s lives through its micro-finance initiative Lendwithcare.

Guest blog | Who are you and what do you care about?

This blog has been posted here with permission from Michelle Nicol.
Originally posted here.

I visited Laos and Cambodia recently to find out more about the charity Lendwithcare, who help some of the world’s poorest people work their way out of poverty.

Building resilience among microentrepreneurs in the Philippines

This blog was written by Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan, senior microfinance advisor at Lendwithcare. It was first published on the Virgin Unite website for Global Entrepreneurship week and has been reproduced here with their permission.

This year for Global Entrepreneurship Week we will be sharing inspirational stories of how entrepreneurs can provide a shining light of hope in even the darkest of situations.

The Philippines ranks third in the list of countries in the world where a natural disaster is most likely to occur, after the Pacific islands of Vanuatu and Tonga. Although it is also prone to earthquakes, flooding and droughts, it is typhoons that strike the Philippines most frequently. The state weather bureau PAGASA estimates that, on average, eight or nine typhoons or tropical storms make landfall in the Philippines each year, with another nine or ten entering Philippine waters.

Photo ©Peter Caton

Guest blog | Laurie Lee: Recycled loans recycling plastic

Lendwithcare began supporting entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, through Microfinance Institution Thrive, one year ago. I was able to visit the country recently and met some of the entrepreneurs that I - and 80 of you - had supported in June 2016. I met the Nokutenda group, which comprises four women entrepreneurs all running different businesses. By being part of a group they are able to support each other with practical advice and friendship.

I met three of them and showed them how Lendwithcare works. I was able to show them their profile on the Lendwithcare website, under “My Loans”, and show them all of the lenders who had contributed to their loan.

RubyMoon lends 100% of its profits to Lendwithcare women entrepreneurs

Lendwithcare now has a community of over 33,000 lenders, supporting over 45,000 entrepreneurs around the world.

One lender is ethical swimwear company RubyMoon, who uses 100% of their net profits to lend to women entrepreneurs through Lendwithcare. RubyMoon has been lending for 5 years, and so far has made 179 loans to women entrepreneurs and entrepreneur groups. We got in touch with founder Jo to find out more about why she wanted to involve RubyMoon in Lendwithcare, and her lending story so far.

Jo, founder of RubyMoon

Guest blog | A lender's experience meeting Lendwithcare entrepreneurs

Lendwithcare has recently lent £10 million to entrepreneurs across the world, and to celebrate, we are offering one lucky lender the chance to win a trip to Zambia to meet Lendwithcare entrepreneurs, and see the difference their loans have made.

Long-standing lender Gary Nicol shares his experience of when he met Lendwithcare entrepreneurs, by taking part in CARE's Vietnam to Cambodia cycle challenge:

Financial products and training, the winning formula? | Nancy's update from Zimbabwe

It is now widely accepted that a key component of financial inclusion, that is providing poor and low-income people with access to appropriate and affordable financial services, is financial literacy. This, of course, makes perfect sense. After all, what is the good in providing the tools if the recipients do not fully understand how to use them, or indeed understand what might be the risks of using them?

Guest blog | The effect of El Niño in Malawi

Since mid-2015 now, the world has witnessed one of the strongest weather events of El Niño – a global weather phenomenon that affects rain patterns and temperatures around the world. It has triggered droughts and floods across Africa, Asia and Latin America, and now nearly 100 million people are facing shortages of food and water, and are open to disease. Malawi is suffering from its first maize deficit in a decade, driving prices 73% higher than they were in December.

We at Lendwithcare asked Danny, who volunteers at our microfinance partner organisation in Malawi, how the recent droughts were affecting the country, and in particular, borrowers:

Guest Blog | The effect of El Niño in Zimbabwe

Old Marimba entrepreneur group (18800) in Harare, Zimbabwe

You may have been reading various headlines recently about the impact of El Niño in several countries around the world. El Niño is a global weather phenomenon that affects rain patterns and temperatures around the world, and can cause drought and food crises in countries reaching from Papua New Guinea to South America to Ethiopia. One of the latest countries to be badly affected is Zimbabwe, which has announced a state of disaster following the severe droughts that have recently devastated harvests and caused food prices to soar. We at Lendwithcare asked Henry at our microfinance partner Thrive just how the country, and in particular Thrive’s borrowers, have been affected: