Last updated on April 17, 2013

Partner Description:

The Lebanese Association for Development (Al Majmoua) is an independent, apolitical, non-profit, non-governmental organization in Lebanon. It is currently the leading microcredit institution in Lebanon in terms of clients served.

Al Majmoua was established in 1994 by Save the Children as a program with a mandate to provide sustainable financial services to low-income female micro-entrepreneurs in urban and rural areas of Lebanon. In 1998, the program spun off from Save the Children to become an independent local NGO.

Al Majmoua has a network of 15 active offices across Lebanon, including in Palestinian camps, allowing Al Majmoua to be present in the communities it serves and remain in-tune with the particular needs of its clients. Loan officers are recruited from the local community for their social networks and extensive knowledge of our specific areas of operation.

Al Majmoua's core business is to provide small loans to individuals who have limited or no access to formal lending channels. The organization’s goal is to improve quality of life for the most disadvantaged, regardless of their religion, nationality, gender or political affiliation by providing them with appropriate financial and non-financial resources

As of 2011, Al Majmoua had 25,280 active clients, including 10,952 women, for a total outstanding portfolio of USD$20.9 million. Going forward, Al Majmoua  is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the microfinance industry and expanding access to its services to the working poor while maintaining a focus on women’s empowerment.

Al Majmoua’s unique lending approach:

Al Majmoua offers a number of specialized loan products tailored to the varied needs of Kiva borrowers. These include start-up loans for new businesses and repeat loans to promote expansion, as well as worker loans for people with incomes below the poverty line and no access to credit.

Al Majmoua also offers infrastructural improvement loans, including housing loans in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and information and communication technology loans for rural accessibility improvements. Group loans, targeted at rural women, require no collateral and rely on the group to work together to repay the loan.

Samha Ayoub received goats from Al Majmoua to help recover her business after the 2006 conflict

Al Majmoua views development holistically: Micro-credit alone is not sufficient to sustain a small business, so the institution is committed to providing complementary non-financial services to improve the quality of life for borrowers. The organization provides business management and financial education trainings, vocational trainings, marketing support, and networking opportunities.

Some seminars are directed primarily at women, and include women's economic rights, self-confidence, communication skills, and household budget management. These free services are offered to both borrowers and non-borrowers after a thorough individual business development and needs assessment.

Al Majmoua aims to promote women’s empowerment by providing opportunities for economic development.

Awards and honors:

In 2010, Al Majmoua was awarded a 5-Diamond ranking from the Mix Market, the highest rating of transparency and accountability an organization can receive.