For two reasons. First, we feel that women are the most economically disadvantaged workers in our society. Second, experience around the world has demonstrated that women are much better borrowers, repaying loans with a much higher frequency than men and returning business profits back to the family.
Businesses are generally home-based and usually employ only the owner.
They may eventually reach a maximum of five workers. We do not require collateral for the loans, nor do we deny lending services because of poor credit. Organizations which charge less for credit also charge for training sessions or loan processing, which we do not. Interest income helps offset some of our training costs and the cost to obtain credit through banks and other financial institutions. Success in the developing world and in the U.S. have shown that peer support in the form of a lending group or circle dramatically stabilizes and improves repayment rates.