Our Pilot Programs

Wisconsin Microfinance continues to search for new opportunities to provide microfinance in the areas that need it most. We understand that the places in the world with the greatest need are the places we can make the biggest impact. As we identify new opportunities to create sustainable microfinance programs, Wisconsin Microfinance will partner with organizations in those places to test whether a microfinance program will be successful at achieving our goals. These “Pilot Programs” allow us to continue to expand our reach at a sustainable pace, and make ourselves available to seek out new opportunities for lifting people out of poverty.

The need for microfinance in Ghana

Our first program on the African continent is in Ghana. Ghana is situated on the west coast of Africa, between Togo and Cote d’Ivoire. In 2021, 3.4 million citizens of Ghana were classified as living in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 a day. Poverty remains especially pervasive in rural areas, which suffer more during droughts and floods and have poor access to transportation, markets, and healthcare.

In recent years, the country has suffered from a depreciating currency and a large national debt. To the extent that loans are available at all in the rural areas, they are offered at rates from 10 – 15%/month. A lack of support for Ghana’s rural areas has resulted in a growing cycle of poverty, with too many people trapped by their lack of access to capital.

Partnership with We R uS

Wisconsin Microfinance is excited to work with We R uS, a non-profit created to support economic development in rural, traditional communities in Ghana. By working with community leaders, We R uS aims to support local economic development efforts.

Wisconsin Microfinance will work with We R uS in the community of Goma Assin Mampong, which is located in the central region of Ghana, about 30 miles from Accra. The community is an agricultural community, with 75% of the population engaged in growing crops or raising animals. Crops include rice, maize, pawpaw, cabbage, pepper, yams and cassava. Livestock includes mainly poultry, pigs and some sheep and goats.

Our program in Goma Assin Mampong

The community in Gomoa Assin Mampong is small, perfect for piloting a microfinance program in Ghana. 60% of the population is female, making our focus on empowering female entrepreneurs a natural fit. We expect the first loans to be made in late 2022, and we will again use our lending group model. With this model, 6 – 8 members of a lending group all receive a loan at the same time, and no member of the group can take out a subsequent loan until all members of the group have paid back their first loan. This creates both peer pressure and peer support, and has been one of the secrets of our success.

A lack of federal interest in rural communities has led to worsening conditions in rural Ghana. But organizations like We R uS are committed to addressing economic disparity between the cities and the country by providing healthcare, improvements to productivity, and, now, microloans to aspiring entrepreneurs. We are very pleased to be working with a partner with extensive experience in local economic development.

We believe that the way forward for Ghana is by empowering the people through the traditional culture that they know and believe in.

—We R uS

Support our Pilot Programs

The success of the Ghana program depends on building a strong foundation in order to expand and lift up individuals and communities for the future. Please consider supporting this program by donating to our “Pilot Programs” fund.

Donate now

The need for microfinance in Pakistan

Our first program in South Asia is in Pakistan. Pakistan gained its independence from the British in 1947. Pakistan shares an eastern border with India, north-eastern border with China, a western border with Afghanistan and a south-west border with Iran. Pakistanis make up 3 percent of world population. 95% of the population is Muslim, with small minorities of Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Parsis. In 2023, 38% of the population lives in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 a day.

The poor in Pakistan lack access to basic services such as education, health, clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Without basic social services, the ability to escape from poverty is very low.

Partnership with Unity in Hope

Wisconsin Microfinance is excited to work with Unity in Hope, a non-profit created to provide basic services to the Christian minority in the slums of Islamabad. In 2019, they founded the first school in Iqbal City, Islamabad and they have continued to expand their services.

Unity in Hope seeks to address extreme poverty using a holistic approach to systemic problems. In addition to the schools, they provide families and the surrounding community with medical services, technology training and most recently a business incubator. We will couple the microloans to the business incubator, focusing on female clients.

Our program in Iqbal City, Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, yet the community in Iqbal City suffers from discrimination from both the majority Muslim population and the government. The majority of residents live under extreme levels of vulnerability. The housing structures are weak, access to safe sanitation and water is limited. Liquid and solid waste management services are unavailable and surroundings are extremely unhygienic. It is very difficult to escape the cycle of poverty in Iqbal City.

We expect the first loans to be made in late 2023, and we will again use our lending group model. With this model, 6 – 8 members of a lending group all receive a loan at the same time, and no member of the group can take out a subsequent loan until all members of the group have paid back their first loan. This creates both peer pressure and peer support, and has been one of the secrets of our success.

A lack of government interest in the minority Christian communities has led to worsening conditions for these people. But organizations like Unity in Hope are committed to providing economic opportunity and hope. We are very pleased to be working with a partner with extensive experience in local economic development.

"In my experience, poor people are the world's greatest entrepreneurs. Every day, they must innovate in order to survive. They remain poor because they do not have the opportunities to turn their creativity into sustainable income."

—Muhammad Yunus

Support our Pilot Programs

The success of the Pakistan program depends on building a strong foundation in order to expand and lift up individuals and communities for the future. Please consider supporting this program by donating to our “Pilot Programs” fund.

Donate now