Become a Village Bank Sponsor in 2008

For a $5,000 contribution, you or your group or organization can sponsor a Village Bank. Your donation can immediately give 20-40 families an opportunity to escape poverty. Your donation sponsors a new Village Bank, providing first loans to borrowers who can experience—for the first time—the opportunity to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

Each year, FINCA selects 3-4 priority country programs to participate in the Village Bank Sponsorship program, based on their high demand for new loans but limited opportunity to meet this demand. You can immediately provide 20-30 impoverished women with their first loans and the opportunity to lift themselves and their families out of poverty by sponsoring a Village Bank in 2007 in:

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with life made even harder by years of political unrest and devastating hurricanes. Our average client has 3-7 children. Even $1 per day of added income can impact her family’s quality of life. In 2006, FINCA Haiti provided loans averaging $214 to over 6,300 women, most of whom sell food products in market-places. FINCA Haiti’s 2007 Goal: Reach 11,000 borrowers!

Malawi, one of the world’s least developed countries; 55 percent of the population lives in dire poverty. High rates of HIV/AIDS have made life particularly hard for Malawi’s poorest. Many FINCA clients care for one or more of Malawi’s one million orphans. In 2006, FINCA made loans to nearly 20,000 women, averaging $153. Our 2007 Goal: Reach 25,000 borrowers!

Tajikistan, with average per capita income of just over $100 a month, remains the poorest of the former Soviet republics. Nearly two thirds of the population lives in abject poverty. Most clients sell goods from stalls in markets or run small farms. In 2006, FINCA Tajikistan gave new hope to over 4,700 borrowers through loans averaging $594. Our 2007 Goal: Reach 6,000 borrowers!

Your $5,000 Village Bank Sponsorship can touch the lives of up to 150 people through the business-building loans it makes possible. Individuals or groups may sponsor Village Banks. Sponsorships provide an excellent opportunity to mobilize community support for microentrepreneurs and the chance to make an extraordinary gift to honor a loved one.  

With your sponsorship of one of these select programs, you’ll receive an information packet that includes:

• Location and name of the Village Bank
• A group photo of the clients, their businesses and amount of each loan
• A profile of a typical Village Banker from your sponsored country
  

One year later, FINCA will report to you on the progress of the country program where your donation has been put into action.

Join the Village Banking Campaign and visit this page regularly for updates on the Village Bank Sponsorship program.

For more information about Village Bank Sponsorship, please write Katie Touchton-Leonard at ktouchton-leonard@villagebanking.org or call her at 202.682.1510. Thank you for your support!