Status Update — February 8, 2016

ayzh’s partnership with Kiva has been closed following an unsuccessful pilot credit program whose aim was funding entrepreneurs to buy and sell low-cost clean birth kits. ayzh has experienced high borrower delinquency and, as a result, Kiva has decided to default all the outstanding loans. Since joining Kiva in March 2014 as an experimental partner, ayzh has posted 14 loans worth $13,650, but no repayments have been received from the borrowers to date. The loans were disbursed to entrepreneurs with the aim of introducing new low-cost clean birth kit products to rural populations in Ghana and Zambia. According to ayzh, the pilot program proved unsuccessful mainly because of lack demand for the products and problems with their credit delivery structure. In particular, ayzh experienced delays with procurement and delivery of the products to the entrepreneurs. However, when the kits were finally delivered, ayzh was unable to establish the local presence that was necessary to administer the program and to support the entrepreneurs in the initial marketing campaigns. 

Partner Description: 

ayzh is a for-profit social venture that develops and provides low-cost appropriate solutions for meeting the needs of women in resource-poor settings. Globally, ayzh has supported over 80,000 mothers and newborns in its work to provide access to sanitary births.

Approximately one million mothers and newborns die annually from infections linked to unhygienic birth practices. ayzh provides local entrepreneurs with loans of JANMA, the clean birth kit developed by the organization. The kit contains simple tools recommended by the World Health Organization to provide sanitation and sterility at the time of childbirth, including a sterilized underpad, scalpel, gloves, clamp, and soap. Entrepreneurs are then able to resell the kits to healthcare workers, midwives, NGOs, and expecting mothers. To date, ayzh has sold over 40,000 award-winning kits throughout India, Afghanistan, and several African countries, and demand continues to increase. It has trained 400 healthcare workers and evaluated over 3,000 births via its Mobile Phone Training Program.

A unique lending approach:

ayzh is expanding to Africa via a unique lending model. ayzh provides 0% interest loans paid in JANMA clean birth kits to entrepreneurs in Ghana and Zambia, who are then able to re-sell the kits. The cost to the entrepreneurs is valued at $4 per kit, and they can be re-sold for an affordable $7-$9. The kit includes environmentally friendly and culturally appealing materials. This model provides supplemental income for the entrepreneurs while also increasing access to the necessary tools for birth in regions where adequate sanitation is unavailable. With Kiva’s support, ayzh will be able to save the lives of many women and children living in Zambia, Ghana and beyond. 

ayzh is pioneering the approach of lending goods in contrast to the tradition of financing with cash. Beyond this initial pilot, the organization hopes to expand access throughout Africa and expand its offerings to include a newborn kit, a post-partum hemorrhage kit, and a sanitation and hygiene solution for women.