Since January 2008, CRS Ghana has collaborated with the Yendi Diocese to implement a savings and internal lending communities (SILC) project in northern Ghana communities that have been historically plagued with tribal tensions. The project was designed to support existing peacebuilding initiatives in the area with access to financial services, using a group methodology. By [...]

For more than two years, CRS/Egypt has collaborated with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and the Business Enterprises Support Tools (BEST) Foundation on an avian flu mitigation project. The purpose of the project was to support the livelihoods and economic security of vulnerable poor women and their households, who traditionally raise poultry. In February [...]

In their pursuit of profitability, many microfinance institutions (MFIs) have subordinated their original social objectives to financial imperatives. By designing their products and selecting their clients in ways that seek to minimize risk and maximize profits, they have achieved financial sustainability. In doing so, however, they have often excluded poor and marginalized people—precisely the segment [...]

Documents the experience of CAURIE-MF, a CRS partner in Senegal, with the design and launch of its new savings product.

Examines key lessons learned by Metemamen MF, a microfinance partner of CRS Ethiopia, during the pilot testing of a new loan product designed for rural poor farmers.

Describes the role that savings and internal lending approaches to microfinance has played in strengthening the economic wellbeing of HIV-affected households.

A compendium of field experience with savings-led microfinance as an element in a holistic approach to community development.