We should uphold the True Spirit of Islamic Finance

This blog was written by Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan, Senior Microfinance Advisor at Lendwithcare, CARE International UK. It was first published in the True Banking online magazine, and has been reproduced here with their permission.

Guest blog | Design is Political interview with Head of Lendwithcare Tracey Horner

This microfinance platform is helping some of the world's poorest people

This interview was originally posted on the Design is Political website here and has been reproduced here with their permission.

©Peter Caton

Lendwithcare helps people work their way out of poverty. The online platform allows users to make microloans (as small as £15) to those in some of the poorest parts of the world, who invest in building their businesses and improving their lives. We caught up with Tracey Horner, the woman behind the project, to find out more…

How do you know your Lendwithcare loan is doing what it says on the tin?

Have you ever wondered what actually happens when a member of the Lendwithcare team visits one of our Lendwithcare countries to check that everything is working as it should?

In November 2016 I visited the Cambodian Community Savings Federation (CCSF), our partner in Cambodia for the last six years. Usually it would be our Senior Microfinance Advisor, Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan, who would conduct a monitoring and evaluation visit. However, as I was taking part in a sponsored cycle trip, along with 20 other supporters, which was culminating in a visit to some of our Cambodian entrepreneurs, it made sense for me to conduct a mini evaluation during the same trip.

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

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?

More than just microfinance | Helping poor farmers in the Philippines recover from disaster and build security for the future

This is Arlene Montejo, a small-scale farmer from the beautiful yet isolated mountain village of Sudlon II on the outskirts of Cebu City in the Philippines. Arlene, like millions of poor people around the world, relies solely on farming to generate an income and support her family. She grows a variety of vegetables including lettuces, cabbages, cucumbers and aubergines. When I met Arlene at her farm two weeks ago she told me that lettuce is the most popular item, selling an average of 300kg a week.

Arelene Montejo, farming entrepreneur working with our partner in the Philippines

It’s Financial Inclusion 2020 Week – but what happened to microfinance?

This week you may notice a lot of online discussion and social media chatter about financial inclusion, and how we ensure that low- and moderate-income people around the world have access to a full suite of quality financial services. And while this conversation is important, and this week gives those of us working in the sector the opportunity to galvanise support and mobilise action, it dawned on me that some people might be wondering: “What ever happened to microfinance?”

Crowdfunding: A Cure to the World's Social Problems?

This blog was written by Lendwithcare lender, Jan Tchamani, and originally posted on DuCredit's website. It has been re-posted here with permission.

 

The Chitimba Women's Group, supported by Jan through Lendwithcare

Crowdfunding activity has been on the rise for a few years. With the rise of Kickstarter and other platforms, no sector benefits more fruitfully from crowd funding initiatives than the 3rd sector.

Micro-finance initiatives allow anyone to invest small amounts of money which make a huge difference to entrepreneurs and workers in the third world. Allowing them to provide a sustainable future for their families.

We asked one UK based donor, Jan Tchamani, one of AgeUK’s current internet champions, why she chose to give through crowdfunding and tell us a little about her experience of charitable giving through LendWithCare.

Promoting solar power in Pakistan

The city of Lahore is renowned as the literary, educational and cultural heart of Pakistan and has a long history of beautiful architecture dating in particular from the Mughal period with buildings such as the Badshahi Masjid and the Shahi Qila or Lahore Fort.

Shakeel and Rehan from Akhuwat on the roof  where the solar panels are located

How to increase investment in micro-enterprises (and get your money back)

This blog was orginally posted on CARE Insights.

Today CARE has submitted written evidence to the International Development Committee (IDC) of the House of Commons on our peer-to-peer lending network, Lendwithcare. (For a snappier and more entertaining overview of Lendwithcare, see our new Christmas animation above.) The IDC is currently looking at jobs and livelihoods and is interested to understand more about the role that a relatively new way of funding micro-enterprises can play in generating growth and jobs in developing countries.

Finalists for Lendwithcare Grassroots Entrepreneur Awards announced!

Public voting has closed for the 2014 Lendwithcare Grassroots Entrepreneur Awards and the ten most popular entrepreneurs, featured below, have been passed to our expert judging panel to pick an overall winner.

The standard of entrants has been extremely high. Every one of the 33 nominees is inspiring and has demonstrated an incredible level of enterprise and entrepreneurialism, often in the most challenging circumstances. The Lendwithcare Grassroots Awards recognises the most innovative and determined small businesspeople in poor communities in the developing world. The Awards celebrate creativity, enterprise and innovation, and prioritises social values and poverty alleviation.

It’s now down to our able panel of high profile names from across the business world to come to a final decision. Alastair Stewart, Deborah Meaden, Levi Roots, Nick Hewer, Richard Reed, Sir Stuart Rose, have a difficult decision on their hands! 

Philippines Diary - Update from the field by Tracey Horner

Update from a field visit in the Philippines by Tracey Horner, received on Tues. 14^th Jan., 14:04 London time.

"I finally arrived in Manila over 24 hours after I left my house. The Manila traffic is truly appalling during rush hour, which seems to last for much of the day. It reminded me of the fab BBC Programme "Toughest place to be a...", which featured in one episode a bus driver from London living in Manila and taking over the job of a 'Jeepney' driver for a week.  Funnily enough, the security briefing I received from the CARE office said that staff are not allowed to travel in Jeepney's due to safety concerns!  I ended up commuting back to the office in what Filipinos call 'tricycles', which are like a motor bike with a side car.  These are the same vehicles that Lendwithcare is helping to fund, with loans to some drivers who want to convert their 'tricycles' to less polluting LPG gas.  More details to follow next week when I meet with the company 'Clean Engines' to discuss further funding."

Tweet from Tracey on the day she arrived:

Day 2 – Safely arrived in the Philippines

Day Two

Arrived safely after a 19 hour journey. Catching up with the CARE office tomorrow then meeting @lendwithcare partner next day.
— Tracey (@traceymohabir) January 13, 2014

Head of Lendwithcare, Tracey Horner, safely arrived in Manila this morning where she will stay for a couple of days and meet with CARE Philippines staff to discuss a rehabilitation plan for the people who lost their livelihoods when Typhoon Haiyan hit on November 8^th last year. One of the main questions to be addressed is how Lendwithcare, a peer-to-peer lending platform operating in devastated areas, can contribute to these rebuilding efforts.

Best wishes for 2014 and a massive “Thank you” for your support to lendwithcare

2013 was a busy and at times a challenging year for lendwithcare. It was also a hugely successful one thanks to your continuing support. 

Financial inclusion: How can poor people have access to the financial services they need?

2.5 billion people around the world lack access to financial services such as savings accounts, access to loans,  insurance and  bank transfers.  According to the Centre for Financial Inclusion, “Access to a range of quality financial services at affordable prices, delivered with convenience and dignity, can change the course of an individual’s, family’s, or business’s future.  A full suite of financial services should be provided with quality, to all who can use them, by a range of providers”.