World Renew

Village Savings and Loan programs work by focusing on the resources, initiative, accountability and social support that are present in vulnerable communities. Instead of waiting for money from the outside to begin their work, groups of 15-30 members make weekly savings deposits into a group fund. They manage the fund themselves, make decisions about who can receive loans and what the terms are, and hold each other accountable for the repayment of their loans. Group members need each other to be successful and repay the loans so money is then available for themselves and other members in new rounds of lending. This kind of accountability leads to very high repayment rates.

World Renew plays the role of a catalyst, encouraging groups to form, helping them to develop group rules, and providing training in group process, money management, and leadership. Often group meetings are the place where members learn about other ways to improve their families and communities. In some countries, World Renew provides seed funding to the savings groups after a designated savings goal has been reached, and in other contexts loans from the partner are available, either at the beginning in order to build up the fund, or later in the program when some member businesses have grown to a point where a larger boost of capital is needed to expand. In every country, groups manage the funds themselves, and initial savings is a requirement.

Country/Regions served: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, West Africa, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

World Renew is committed to helping small farmers feed their families and earn extra income through sustainable agriculture practices that protect and nourish the land. According to Roland Bunch, a leading expert on sustainable agriculture, World Renew has “increased food security, promoted Biblical principles of brotherhood and healthy ethnic relations, improved gender relations, [and] improved economic conditions … I would definitely put its work in the top quartile of NGO agricultural work around the world.”
This has been achieved through working side-by-side with local farmers to test and adopt sustainable agriculture methods that improve soil fertility, establish drought resistant crop varieties, boost productivity, extend the growing season through small-scale irrigation, secure post-harvest storage, and improve husbandry of farm animals.
Country/Regions served: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, West Africa, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia