Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status update — February 28, 2018
After merging with Sembrar Sartawi IFD in September 2016, Emprender stopped posting new loans on Kiva. They've now repaid their full outstanding balance and these funds have been distributed to lenders. Emprender worked with Kiva for the past 10 years fundraising more than 10 million USD in loans. After a thorough evaluation of Sembrar Sartawi IFD, Kiva decided to pursue a partnership opportunity with them and they have started posting loans in June 2017. You can see their partner page here
 

Status update — September 28, 2016

Emprender has informed Kiva that they will be merging with another microfinance institution in Bolivia, Sembrar Sartawi IFD. While Kiva takes the time to conduct an evaluation on this new organization in order to determine whether it meets the requirements to be a Lending Partner, Emprender will not be allowed to fundraise on the Kiva platform. Emprender's debt will be transferred to Sembrar Sartawi IFD and regardless of the outcome of the evaluation, they have committed to continue repaying Kiva lenders as they collect repayments from borrowers.


Partner description:

EMPRENDER is an MFI (Microfinance Institution) set up as a non-profit organization that provides financial services to micro-entrepreneurs in Bolivia’s towns and rural areas. EMPRENDER is committed to the advancement of underprivileged people and the promotion of a more fair and just society. Using its ownership equity, EMPRENDER works for the economic advancement of its micro-entrepreneurs: people who lack access to traditional bank loans and other conventional types of credit.

EMPRENDER began operating in 1999 with a flagship program located in Chasquipampa, 35 km outside the city of La Paz. Its goals were to put into practice a business plan and coherent operating methods suitable for small businesses and to achieve success. It would focus more on serving clients in remote areas. EMPRENDER knows the importance of having its offices physically present and prepared to serve the towns and rural areas.

Since 2000, it expanded to the cities of El Alto Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.

EMPRENDER currently operates with a fourteen-office network; five offices in La Paz, four in Santa Cruz (one in El Torno and three in Santa Cruz), one in El Alto, and four in Cochabamba (one in Colcapirhua, one in Sacaba and two in the city of Cochabamba).

OUR VISION

To become a key instrument in the development process of small-business owners in our country’s towns and rural areas, promoting the generation of income and jobs, improving the quality of life in the small-business sector, and as an institution becoming a permanent fixture in the area.

EMPRENDER offers 10 services:

1. Solidarity Loan

A solidarity loan is granted to groups of micro-entrepreneurs who have been in business for more than 6 months, and have been reviewed and approved by the Loan Officer. The members of Solidarity Group support each other in any eventuality and, as a result of this mutual support, they become each other’s primary surety for future loans. Punctual clients receive regular sums of money depending on their ability to repay the amount, the payment due date, and installments that increase over time. The loan is usually used for working capital.

2. Village Banks or Entreneurship Banks

This is a comprehensive loan service intended for a larger group of people than the Solidarity Loan with a focus on entrepreneurship giving priority to helping female small-business owners generate income. This service also includes a saving component which looks to teach group members about the social and economic value of saving.

3. Rural Loan

This is designed for farmers located in rural areas of Bolivia. It can only be used for agricultural production and is currently offered in two of Emprender's branches.

4. Individual Loan

This is a service for existing clients who have worked in a group. This loan is granted to clients who have participated in the solidarity group, have a good credit history, prove to be able to make payments and who have good growth potential. This loan is also granted to new clients that have been recommended by a former client. In general, this service is geared towards small-business owners with additional surety and who are in a better financial position.

5. Housing Loan

Emprender created this product to enable clients to repair, remodel, or conduct basic home construction.

6. Student Loan

This product looks to cover college students' expenses to access higher education.

7. Water access & Sanitation Loan

In cooperation with the Fundacion SODIS, Emprender has created a product which looks to provide water access to its borrowers. This credit will fund the following: acquisition of water running and ecological toilets, water filters, water tanks and connection to the municipality water pipeline system.

8. Opportunity Loan

This is for clients who need immediate liquidity due to the rapidly changing nature of their business.

9. Cheap/Fast Loan

This product is intended for clients who require a quick inflow of cash. The amount is limited to 1,000 USD. Disbursments usually occur the same day of request

10. Campaign Loan

This credit is reserved for individual clients or village bank clients who have an opportunity for their business that they cannot pass up. This usually occur at specific points during the year mainly at christmas.


Repayment Performance on Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Start Date On Kiva Mar 9, 2008 Oct 12, 2005
Total Loans $10,420,375 $1,947,336,035
Amount of raised Inactive loans $0 $394,700
Number of raised Inactive loans 0 407
Amount of Paying Back Loans $0 $154,734,695
Number of Paying Back Loans 0 180,461
Amount of Ended Loans $10,420,375 $1,763,217,280
Number of Ended Loans 7,399 2,363,981
Delinquency Rate 0.00% 11.31%
Amount in Arrears $0 $10,651,186
Outstanding Portfolio $0 $94,214,866
Number of Loans Delinquent 0 50,464
Default Rate 0.71% 1.83%
Amount of Ended Loans Defaulted $74,432 $32,202,912
Number of Ended Loans Defaulted 150 84,618
Currency Exchange Loss Rate 0.00% 0.50%
Amount of Currency Exchange Loss $0 $11,901,529
Refund Rate 1.03% 0.54%
Amount of Refunded Loans $107,525 $10,472,500
Number of Refunded Loans 48 9,545

Loan Characteristics On Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Loans to Women Borrowers 68.97% 78.22%
Average Loan Size $589 $391
Average Individual Loan Size $919 $589
Average Group Loan Size $3,591 $1,887
Average number of borrowers per group 8.6 8.3
Average GDP per capita (PPP) in local country $5,500 $5,599
Average Loan Size / GDP per capita (PPP) 10.71% 6.99%
Average Time to Fund a Loan 11.42 days 8.91 days
Average Dollars Raised Per Day Per Loan $51.61 $43.92
  Average Loan Term 10.99 months 11.46 months

Journaling Performance on Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Total Journals 2,638 1,173,011
  Journaling Rate 33.05% 42.28%
  Average Number of Comments Per Journal 0.02 0.02
  Average Number of Recommendations Per Journal 0.91 0.57

Borrowing Cost Comparison (based on 2015 data)

    This Lending Partner Median for MFI's in Country All Kiva Partners
  Average Cost to Borrower 32% PY 20.00% PY 26.92% PY
  Profitability (return on assets) 0.5% 1.5% -3.11%
  Average Loan Size (% of per capita income) N/A 88.00% 0.00%

Country Fast Facts

Lending Partner Staff