Lendwithcare

LendwithCare

We started in 2023 to make loans to very small enterprises in poor territories, via the Lendwithcare project.

After a short period, we were encouraged to increase our commitment to a total of £1000. This has been spread over 7 projects in countries such as Vietnam, Philippines, Malawi, Ecuador, Zimbabwe.

Their projects are largely agricultural in nature, with some small retailing & even manufacture projects.

These loans can increase independence for individuals & their families & in many cases increase local employment.

Each loan has a programme of repayments.

So far (March 2024, we have not experienced any defaults. When our loan balance has reached a sensible level, further oppotunities for loans will be explored.

See below a typical example:- 

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Diana Carolina is a 29-year-old entrepreneur who lives in the province of Carchi, in northern Ecuador. Diana is single and lives in her parents' home. From an early age, she was surrounded by the countryside and helped her parents take care of the family crops. She started her business five years ago with the support of her parents, who provided her with a small plot of land where she grows avocados on her own.
Diana's crops are harvested twice a year and she sells them to local merchants and in the markets of the city of Ibarra. In order to continue developing her business, she requests a loan of $1,000 to be repaid in 12 monthly instalments with 2 semi-annual payments. She intends to invest $400 in the purchase of avocado seedlings, $400 in the purchase of agricultural inputs to enrich the soil, and $480 in the purchase of organic fertiliser to fertilise the crops during the flowering and growth stages. In addition, she plans to allocate $225 for hiring labour to work on planting and caring for the crops. The products will be ready for harvest within five months and will be sold at $35 per drawer.
Diana's is simiar to 6 other loans we have made in Philippines, Zambia, Vietnam, Thailand & Togo.