Microfinance Home
Power of Microfinance, an excerpt from a paper written by nine Bentley students
Current Success, microfinance is at a tipping point
Learn By Video, see stories of microentrepreneurs and industry leaders explain microfinance
Presentations, given by MicroBikeUSA

Microfinance: Helping Millions Help Themselves

Microfinance gives the poor the opportunity to help themselves. Over half of the world is isolated from the traditional banking system. Among these people, hundreds of millions of microentrepreneurs thrive in starting very small businesses. Unlike rich-world entrepreneurs, these people are not looking to strike it rich, they just want to feed their family. However, none of them have the money they need to grow their business.

Initiatives throughout the world have shown that the poor repay loans as frequently as the rich. Traditional collateral is not the only incentive to encourage repayment. In developing countries, the battle to survive motivates repayment.

We hope you will find this site to be a useful introduction to microfinance and a source of valuable information. Our links have great sources to learn more.

Meet Mery Mejía of Barranquilla, Colombia

(an ACCION story)

When Mery and her family were forced to flee their home because of paramilitaries, the arrived in Barranquilla with nothing. Mery was forced to live with her family in an unsafe neighborhood. Eventually, she found out about ACCION partner Fundación Mario Santo Domingo and with her first loan she bought industrial ovens, mixers, pans, trays, raw materials and ingredients to make bread.

Mery was determined to succeed, but with little experience she needed to take ACCION's ABC's of Business. With the skills she was taught, she was able to begin her own business and run her own bread, MaryPan. With the money she now makes, she can repay her loan, pay her rent, and feed her family. Her family still leaves uncomfortably close to the hot bread ovens, but Mery already has plans for her next loan and continues to work hard towards her goal of owning a good home for her family.

Meet more ACCION microentrepreneurs.