Wisconsin Microfinance

Wisconsin Microfinance was created to provide seed funding for small businesses in the developing world. By providing very small loans to very poor individuals, they seek to improve the quality of life of families and the economic potential of communities. Micro-loans empower individuals to take responsibility for improving their lives and break the cycle of dependency which is often created by short-term aid. All loans are made to individuals who are members of a lending group, and no member of a lending group can receive a subsequent loan until everyone has paid back their first loan. In addition, the majority of their loans go to women, as women are statistically more likely to invest the money into an endeavor that will improve the economic condition of her family. They have already seen the impact of micro-loans in communities in Haiti and the Philippines and hope to spread this impact of micro-loans to other communities.