Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with 64% of the population living on $1.90 per day or less. Challenges are greatest for people in rural areas, who subside on less than $1 per day and lack access to health care, quality education, and virtually any job opportunities outside of subsistence agriculture. Rural women are one of the nation's most vulnerable groups; due in particular to their lack of access to capital and training, they struggle to survive and to provide basic necessities for their families. Adelante Foundation works to improve the standard of living of impoverished women in rural areas of Honduras by investing in female entrepreneurs.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Microfinance
Adelante Foundation’s mission is to empower enterprising women with the least opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency, which we fulfill by making small loans, offering business and financial education, and helping women in the poorest rural communities of Honduras to start and grow their own microenterprises in order to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Since 2000, Adelante has lent to more than 100,000 women in Honduras, and we currently serve approximately 8,000 women through five offices located in Tocoa, La Ceiba, El Progreso, Sigquatepeque, and Choluteca. Our average loan size is around $180 but can be as small as $25, and our average payback rate is 97%. Over the years, we have seen our entrepreneurial clients use their profits to provide better nutrition for their families, improve their homes, send their children to school, and save for the future. By charging low interest rates, Adelante is also able to fully cover operating costs, create new jobs for local Hondurans, and thereby create a sustainable solution to extreme poverty in Honduras.
Education
Every month, our credit officers deliver interactive educational modules to all of our clients in their assembly groups. These sessions are where our women not only learn invaluable knowledge but also apply concepts to their own businesses to improve their success. Credit officers also frequently visit each client for one-on-one business consulting and mentorship.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of loans issued to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Microfinance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollar amount of loans issued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Microfinance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our overarching goal is to reduce poverty in Honduras through a sustainable approach to empowering local families. We do this, first, by ensuring that our borrowers are able to run successful microenterprises that enable them to earn profits and overcome poverty. Second, we aim for our clients to enjoy other tangible benefits in their lives, including healthier diets, safer homes, the ability to save, and greater educational attainment for their children. In doing so, we hope not only to improve quality of life for each family we work with but also to improve the wellbeing of Honduran communities overall.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our strategy has two prongs: microfinance and education. We start with microfinance in order to make capital available to Honduras' most vulnerable populations. Our model is based upon the Solidarity Group, two to five women who take out a loan together and are jointly responsible to repay. These groups are the core of our program, engendering healthy accountability as well as cooperative support among group members.
The second core element of our strategy is education; we offer training in business and finances to all of our clients in assembly meetings once per month. In these sessions, women not only learn invaluable knowledge but also apply concepts to their own businesses to improve their success. Our credit officers also frequently visit each client for one-on-one business consulting and mentorship.
Furthermore, through both elements of our strategy — taking out and managing a loan on the one hand and receiving business training and financial education on the other — our clients improve their self-esteem and ability to have a positive outlook. These women also take on leadership roles within their groups and assemblies that further encourage confidence and personal development.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Adelante Foundation has been working in Honduras for 20 years and has fine-tuned a model that best meets the needs of rural women. We also continually evaluate the effectiveness of our work and make adjustments as needed to adapt an evolving environment.
Our staff of 50+ Hondurans include several administrators who have been with the organization for eight or more years; in addition to their academic training, these leaders carry with them a wealth of institutional knowledge and skillfully steer our work. Our field staff work with clients on a daily basis, building close relationships that lend a unique understanding of the cultural and economic challenges faced by local women.
Our Board of Directors includes several members who have been with Adelante since its early years, as well as members with expertise in microfinance, international development, and Honduran culture. These committed volunteers expertly steer our work.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2000, Adelante has lent to more than 25,000 Honduran women and distributed over 155,000 micro loans. We have documented the tangible positive impact of our program on many of their lives. Going forward, we hope to increase our active client number to 10,000 and to open another branch office in the western region in 2022. Very importantly, we are improving our monitoring and evaluation strategies to be able to report more precisely on the outcomes and impact of our work, to more objectively ensure that we are fulfilling our mission of empowering the poorest Honduran women.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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ADELANTE FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 09/23/2021
Mr. David Fleming
Seafresh Group
Term: 2017 -
Tony Stone
John Kendall
Bob Sample
Janet Lautenberger
Rich Lang
David Fleming
Jason Smartt
Maria Hubing
Cecilia Chi-Ham
Richard Musat
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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