Status Update - May 14, 2012

Kiva and Womens Development Businesses (WDB) have agreed to end their partnership. The microfinance institution has repaid its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank WDB for joining as Kiva's first Lending Partner in South Africa, and for reliably administering loans to entrepreneurial women. 

Partner Description:

The WDB Micro Finance (WDB MF) was established in 1991. WDB MF is a microcredit program replicating the world-renowned Grameen Bank philosophy of banking on poor women.

The core business of WDB MF is making credit accessible and available to rural women who are the poorest of the poor.

The strategic drivers of WDB MF are to:

• Disburse loans to poor rural women using a relationship based methodology, on a professional basis with the aim of supporting their self-development activities and improving the quality of life in their families
• Build women’s financial knowledge and business skills, through participation in the credit scheme
• Support technical, managerial, leadership and other skills, through training to enhance women’s income generating activities and productivity
• Strengthen community and women’s organizations and services by working with them in offering credit, training and technical assistance
• Support, assist and conduct research programmes which are necessary for the viability of projects and women’s advancement as a whole
• Share knowledge, expertise, experiences and information through coordinating with women’s and development groups and producing accessible and relevant material

For more information, please visit our website.