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CHF International is a proud supporter of the International Year of Microcredit 2005.
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Since 1952, CHF International has been a pioneer in addressing the housing and business development needs of the world’s poor. From helping displaced women in Colombia expand businesses so that they can support their children, to empowering low income families in Gaza and the West Bank improve their own homes, CHF has witnessed the powerful transformations that can occur when the poor are given access to financial services and training. We are proud to be a part of the effort spurred by the International Year of Microcredit 2005, as global awareness about the potential of microfinance will help countless individuals break the cycle of poverty and improve their standards of living, while simultaneously promoting greater economic growth. -- CHF International President & CEO, Michael E. Doyle |
CHF Microfinance Activities
Policy Advice
CHF International’s economic development initiatives are designed to stimulate dialogue with local and national policy-makers. Consequently, they directly work to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprise sector development at the local, regional, and national levels.
In addition, as a leader in the development of the field for the last two decades, CHF has been active in researching, evaluating and documenting case studies and best practices of finance programs around the world. Our studies have examined, among others: programs in Peru, Mexico, India and Kenya, on behalf of the Cities Alliance; housing microfinance programs for the International Finance Corporation (IFC); and support to microfinance institutions providing housing loans, with RTI in Morocco.
Financial and Entrepreneurship Programming
CHF International has the proven capacity to design, implement, and oversee effective financial and entrepreneurship programming. Managing over 22 major programs around the world that provide direct support to micro, small and medium enterprises through grants, training, and technical assistance, our innovative programs include:
- Azerbaijan: the Social Investment Initiative (SII) and the Community Employment and Economic Opportunity Program (CEEOP);
- Mongolia: the Growing Enterprises Rapidly (GER) Initiative, a US$4 million program to support entrepreneurship and facilitate employment through the development of small and family-owned enterprises;
- Lebanon: an extension of CHF International’s economic and agricultural community development projects in Lebanon, where nearly US$1.6 million in monetized funds were liquidated.
Commercial Bank Partnerships
In an effort to bridge the gap between poor communities and formal financial sector services, CHF International has developed a number of banking partnerships with local economic actors—particularly in the Middle East—to expedite the delivery of microfinance services to local communities. This approach has proven successful in marrying our strengths with those of our local banking partners. These alliances allow each entity to complement the other in a way that maximizes efficiency, reduces risk, and creates a viable mechanism for both operational and financial sustainability.
Since 2003, CHF International has disbursed more than US$35 million in commercial bank capital to microentrepreneurs, and we are committed to expanding this type of a successful partnership model as a means for institutionalizing the provision of financial services to low-income clients in other contexts.
CHF International Microfinance Fast Facts
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Microenterprise loans comprise over half of CHF International’s outstanding portfolio.
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CHF International pioneered home improvement lending in the early 1980s with loans that addressed the habitat needs of the working poor in a demand-driven, incremental, and financially viable manner.
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CHF International works with a broad range of partners in a variety of settings to expand the availability of microfinance services for traditionally under-served clients including microfinance institutes, commercial banks, private businesses, non-governmental organizations, cooperatives, and business and housing associations.
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CHF International’s renowned publication So, You Want to do Housing Microfinance? is used by microfinance practitioners worldwide.
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CHF International’s development finance experts are frequently invited to speak about microfinance solutions in housing and business development.
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CHF International’s technical experts taught at the first Boulder Microfinance Training Program in 2000 and every year since.
Awards and Commendations
2002: United Nations Dubai Award for Best Practice for Habitat, for our Home Improvement Lending Program in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. It was the only program chosen in Mexico.
2001: Honorary Mention from the Inter-American Development Bank. Mexican organization FUNHAVI, created by CHF International, won and Honorary Mention from the Inter-American Development Bank for Microfinance work.
2001: Innovative Microfinance Services, Inter-American Development Bank, Honorable Mention, IV Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise, for CHF International’s pioneering Home Improvement Lending Program in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
2000: Award for Project Innovation in Development Finance, First Annual Jordan Microentrepreneur Awards, Outstanding Microentrepreneur, Outstanding Loan Officer. Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recognized CHF International’s outstanding work through our Southern Jordan Access to Credit Project.
For more information please visit www.yearofmicrocredit.org.