Microloans to cooperatives

[Guest]

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[Xan]

Hey there, I'm new to Kiva, so forgive me if I've posted on the wrong forum or got the wrong end of the stick anywhere.

One of the things that strikes me about microfinancing, is promoting loans to individuals.  Wouldn't it make more sense to bring a community up from poverty through the financing of cooperatives instead?

Is there a quick way of finding the microloans for coops on Kiva?

[wthepoo]

Xan,

welcome to KivaFriends - IMHO you have posted in exactly the right forum...

Many of Kiva's Field Partners hand out loans to "groups" of borrowers, quite often members of village banks or similar associations. You can usually spot these loans by looking at the borrowers' photos - or by entering "Group" as search term on http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses. I am not sure, though, how many of these groups really are "coops" in the sense you are using this term.

Just to mention it: One of Kiva's Field Partners is organized as a "coop": Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC), Philippines - http://www.kiva.org/about/aboutPartner?id=126

Best wishes,
Wolfgang.

[Jan & John]

My personal favourite is the 'EcoVillages' from Senegal...
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=4&status=All&sortBy=New+to+Old

And also the large groups in Cambodia that are searched out by AMK...
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=109&status=All&sortBy=New+to+Old

But again, as Wolfgang says, these are still just 'groups' and we have no idea if any specific group would remain together past the time of one loan. 

I do think that the co-operation needed to support each other in a group loan would/should/could benefit an entire community, and that is why I feel the group loans perhaps benefit more people in the long term.

jan

ps  welcome to KF, Xan