Support

100 Euros for a better life: Microcredit is now seen as an important means of promoting the development of disadvantaged groups who have no tangible creditworthy assets and are therefore excluded from normal bank loans for their economic activities. In order to borrow money, they have previously depended on informal lenders, and the associated horrendous interest and repayment conditions have often plunged them into unrepayable debts.

Since the launch of its microcredit programme STARTHILFEKENIA in Kenya (2012), vision:teilen e. V. has followed the principles of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the microcredit system in Bangladesh.

  • Micro-loans (between 100 to 200 € per woman/year) are provided for small joint-ownership groups (max. 15 members) with a mutual guarantee of repayment.
  • Preference is given to economic activities with a short turnover time for the loaned amount, so that the money invested can be earned again quickly (e.g. small-scale trade and agriculture).
  • The microcredits are mainly targeted at women, as they are most likely to have the necessary determination, and the strongest motivation to make the required commitment (in particular so they are able to feed and educate their children).
  • The groups are given continuing close support by competent local experts.
  • The development of the groups and the repayment of the loans is monitored by our project coordinator in Kenya and our local partner organisation, vision:teilen, Kenya.

Muhammad Yunus – Founder and former managing director of the microcredit-providing Grameen Bank.
Picture source: Wikipedia; creator: Nick Harrison, nick.13@me.com; copyright: © Nick Harrison

A team of committed supporters and donors to the microcredit scheme gives further support to the project from Düsseldorf. The microcredit department of the Kenyan partner vision:teilen-Kenya Assoc. is financed by STARTHILFEKENIA/ vision:teilen in Düsseldorf.

At the start of the project, the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen provided a grant through the State Chancellery of € 9,000, – as part of its support for development projects run by local organisations in the state. The grant was made available to the partner organisation as a small non-repayable fund, which was then channelled into new loans.

The donations received by the project finance loans as well as running costs incurred in the country such as support to the groups, and training modules. The repaid loans remain in Kenya and benefit new groups.