Last updated April 7, 2013

Status Update - April 7, 2013

In February 2013, Alidé notified Kiva that the Beninois Ministry of Finance had restricted the amount Alidé is allowed to send Kiva to about $13,000 per month. This amount was not equal to the amount due from Alidé to Kiva in order to cover Kiva borrower repayments. This restriction was a surprise to both Kiva and Alidé, especially because Alidé had always been able to repay Kiva on time and in full in the past.

Partner Description:

Alidé (L’Association de Lutte pour la promotion des Initiatives de Développement) was started in 2006 out of the institutional transformation of a French NGO (Initiative Développement). Alidé made its reputation from being the first MFI to serve the two poorest neighborhoods in Cotonou: Placodji and Akpakpadodomé, which are essentially shantytown slums near the polluted lagoon that divides Cotonou in two.

Now a fully independent Beninese NGO respected by the industry and its clients alike, Alidé continues to work in those same neighborhoods but has also expanded its presence past Cotonou (Benin’s economic capital) and into Sémé-Podji, Allada, Porto-Novo (the administrative capital), Missérété, Adjarra, Dangbo, Avrankou, and Calavi.

In these communities, Alidé works with marginalized people who have previously been excluded from formal credit and savings systems: women, widows, refugees, people with handicaps, people living with AIDS, etc. Alidé offers not only micro-loans (including 0% interest Coup de Pousse loans for the very, very poor), but also well-needed savings options, free training sessions on health, finance, and loan management, and on-site social workers.

All of Alidé’s nine offices are similar. The spaces are bare, but tidy. The walls are almost always a pale blue. Alidé’s name, which means, “a path always exists [for the very poor],” in Fon, the local language, is proudly displayed in big letters next to the company’s logo, a man made out of cowry shells – cowry shells, once used as money in Benin, now a symbol of wealth.

On any given day you can find a number of women in colorful dresses waiting patiently on the benches in each agency’s courtyard. They’re waiting to apply for loans, pick up their money, or make deposits and are generally happy and smiling, even if they have to wait for hours in the obtrusive midday heat. When you ask them what they think of Alidé, they describe it as a godsend.

Benin is a country with a history of slavery and communism, where more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line, where 65% are illiterate, and the median age is 17. It’s through loans like those from Alidé that today’s generation of working poor can get enough capital to think beyond daily survival and establish the businesses they need to pull themselves out of poverty and ensure a better life for their children.

If you’re interested in learning more about Alidé or Benin, you can join the Friends of Benin lending team.





Status Update - September 11, 2011

As part of an ongoing effort to fully migrate risk ratings to our new and enhanced risk rating system, Kiva has conducted a re-assessment of the level of risk posed by this institution.

During this re-assessment, our analysts were able to gather updated operational and financial information about the institution, as well as speak with key members of the staff.

Kiva's new risk rating system, which now includes half stars, has enabled us to display Alidé's risk rating with a higher level of granularity. As a result, Alidé's risk rating will now be displayed as 2.5 stars instead of 3 stars.

We have prepared a blog post with more information on Kiva's new and enhanced risk rating system, along with a chart showing the relative magnitude of the overall changes for Kiva's portfolio.

Status Update - September 17, 2009

Kiva recently modified its methodology for assessing the level of risk presented by its Field Partners. This new process is more rigorous and measures partner performance along additional key dimensions of risk. The drop in Alidé’s risk rating stems directly from the switch to this new methodology and is not a reflection of any changes at the institution.