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 - December 19, 2019 

After over 2 years and $50,000 raised, Kiva has decided to end our partnership with MEC APROVAG in Senegal. Ever since the devastating storms in June 2018 which destroyed the farmers' banana trees, Kiva has been working with MEC APROVAG to ascertain which farmers would receive an insurance payment to replant their trees and repay their loans. Despite continuous efforts, Kiva has not been able to obtain clear information from MEC APROVAG regarding insurance payments. 

In addition, this process has brought to light concerns about institutional management. Kiva has concluded that ongoing efforts to recover the outstanding funds will not be successful, and we have therefore written off the outstanding balance of $50,000 from 189 farmers. We would like to thank you for all your support to these banana farmers.

Please know that even when losses occur, your Kiva loans are still helping make a difference in the lives of borrowers around the globe, and your support gives people an opportunity to pursue better lives. We hope you'll continue to support other borrowers on Kiva.

Status Update - November 11, 2019 

We are still working hard with the partner to determine a path forward; however, it is still not clear how many farmers were able to receive insurance payments in order to replant their banana trees. We are continuing to evaluate the potential for repayment from the farmers and we will post an update with a way forward in a few months time. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Status Update - October 29, 2018 

In late June 2018, heavy storms and winds hit the regions of Tambacounda where the majority of MEC APROVAG's banana farmers live and work. Fortunately, the farmers themselves were not physically affected, but many of them lost their banana plants due to the natural catastrophe. The damage was especially significant for farmers whose bananas were close to being harvested. These borrowers have not been able make any repayments and MEC APROVAG is still working with their insurance company to see how many of their farmers can receive compensation after this event. Kiva is in frequent communication with MEC APROVAG and we are in the process of determining if and when Kiva borrowers will be able to repay their loans. We thank you for your patience.

Partner Description:
MEC APROVAG is a farmer-run association in Senegal that provides financial services and technical advice to support farmers in the region of Tambacounda, the largest city in eastern Senegal. The association’s mission is to help farmers increase crop productivity in order to fight poverty. Through their program, they offer peer-to-peer technical support and have formed a credit union to provide farmers with access to credit and long-term savings accounts. To increase access to rural farmers, APROVAG has developed a “guichet” system where guichets, or small branches, are located throughout the region to collect loan information and repayments. The guichets reduce time and travel constraints common with rural communities.
 
A unique lending approach:
Loans funded on Kiva will enable farming communities to maintain their equipment, invest in quality inputs and generate a higher income. 
 
Since APROVAG specializes in agricultural loans, they have the expertise and loan structure to address the unique needs of farmers. Currently, they’re the only organization working in the region with flexible grace periods and bullet repayment schedules to address the seasonality of agricultural work. Grace periods and bullet repayments allow farmers to repay all at once when they receive an influx of income, usually at harvest time when they sell their crops.