Helping the Women Entrepreneurs of Africa

to help themselves

2010(Copyright MFLA)

• Deceptively simple concept

• We make small loans and provide business training and ongoing mentoring to poor, but motivated women to set up their own micro businesses

• The average loan is just A$100 and is repaid over 4-12 months

MicroLoan Foundation

• Their businesses range from running a market stall selling vegetables, fruit or dried fish … to selling home-baked scones … or running a small restaurant

•MicroLoan never dictate what businesses our clients will run as we wish to instill an attitude of independency and responsibility

MicroLoan Foundation

Our clients use the profits made from their micro businesses:

• 67% spend more on education• 92% spend more on health• 75% have improved their home• 87% are able to look after their dependents better• 78% of households no longer suffer from food shortages An example of a business run is:

MicroLoan Foundation

Lincy Mbeye – Loan group chairlady and market stall

holder Lincy sells tomatoes, beans, maize and Irish and sweet potatoes on her market stall.

•She supports 8 dependants: 5 of her own children + 3 AIDS orphans.

• Before her first loan, Lincy had just 2,000 kwacha (A$13) capital. Now she has 15,000 kwacha (A$100) in savings, and a loan of 20,000 (A$133).

• The training she received has helped her how to manage her money.

MicroLoan Foundation

• With her savings, Lincy has installed running water at home.

• Lincy’s ambitions are to have plenty of food at home so her children won’t have to go hungry, and to send all of them to school.

•MicroLoan UK founded it’s first lending operation in Malawi in 2002.Today there are 20 branches, entirely run by Malawian nationals on a professional business model

• In 2010 MLF Malawi made it’s 100,000 loan, which means that over ½ million people have been affected by the work of MicroLoan

MicroLoan Foundation

Malawi the country

Per latest CIA World FactBook (Nov 10)

•Land locked sub saharan•8th poorest country in world•15.5mn population (50% below 15yrs)•1 in 8 adults affected by HIV, lifeexpectancy 50 years•Half population below poverty line•Exports tobacco, sugar cane, tea

But also:

•Australian feel (red, dry with gum trees)•1/7th size of NSW•7th in the world in womens’ net ball

MicroLoan Foundation

MicroLoan Foundation

Blantyre Malawi, not Bowral NSW

• MicroLoan Australia was launched in 2009, and currently financially supports one lending office in Mulanje run by our in country partner MLF Malawi

•Mulanje is in the southern part of Malawi and as at mid 2010 it had two lending officers providing more than 700 loans to entrepreneurial women.

MicroLoan Foundation

MicroLoan Foundation

Mulanje Massif – 2km high, 640km2

MicroLoan Foundation

Benefits of micro loans• Proven system (since 1970s)• Extra breadwinner

– extra: food, education, health, etc

– Spreads load from husband• Empowers women

– New skills learned– Increased self esteem– Better understanding by

males of contribution of women

– Inspire daughters-future leaders

– Even reduces prostitution, HIV and child mortality

• Non govt corruptible– Small loans don’t buy jets!

• Businesses relevant to demand

• Environmentally low impact– Not grand ‘white man’ plans

• Self sustaining business model• Encourages independency

– Less need for aid in future

• Addresses all 8 UN Millennium Goals to reduce world poverty

• An intelligent approach to charity

• “A hand up, not a hand out”

We aren’t alone in thinking that this is a fantastic idea.

Sir Bob Geldof, Australia’s Simon Tedeschi and Peter FitzSimons have all lent their support, along with many high-profile corporate sponsors such as:

MicroLoan Foundation

In a nutshell……

• We give some of Africa’s poorest women access to capital (only available to 1% of country)

• By empowering these women, we help them to help themselves

•Our ‘business model’ is self-sustaining. Most of MicroLoan’s 20 branches in Malawi are already self-financing. The interest paid covers their running costs, and the capital is ‘recycled’ into new loans

•AND our repayment rate is 99%

•

MicroLoan Foundation

To find out more please contact Clive Hughes CEO Director, MFLA

Email clivehughes@microloanfoundation.org.au

Mobile 0417 270 229

Web www.microloanfoundation.org.au

MicroLoan Foundation