MicroLoan Foundation USA

What is microfinance with the MicroLoan Foundation?

-The MicroLoan Foundation works primarily in Malawi, loaning small amounts of money to groups of women and providing them with business training, with the long-term goals of improving their standard of living and empowering them through individual financial stability.

-We loan to groups of 15 to 20 women in rural areas of Malawi, the large majority of who face struggles due to extreme poverty, food insecurity, and HIV/AIDS. We strive to provide them with training and support that will allow them to improve the lives of their children, extended families and themselves with sustainable sources of financial support and culturally-relevant training.

What is the purpose of the MicroLoan Foundation USA?

-The MLF was started in 2002 in the United Kingdom and has 15 regionally managed offices across Malawi. All of our staff in country is Malawian. The MicroLoan Foundation USA (MLF USA) launched in the spring of 2008 with the purpose of raising awareness in the US about global poverty and the role of microfinance in development work.

-The MLF USA is governed by an independent board of Trustees and a group of advisors that includes professionals from organizations such as CitiBank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Harvard University, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives.