NEED MFI
Partner since: 2021
Need Livelihood Microfinance Private Limited (NEED MFI) has 51 branches serving over 30,000 borrowers in three states in northern India: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have the highest poverty rates of the 28 states and nine union territories in India. These three states contain 27% of the population of India. NEED MFI lends exclusively via groups. Women comprise 99% of NEED MFI’s borrowers, 23% of whom are Muslim. NEED MFI’s mission and goal is to deliver holistic economic development to its clients. This takes the form of programs on marketing, water access and purification, nutrition, and women’s health, in addition to NEED’s unwavering commitment to provide access to responsible credit for India’s poorest. NEED MFI has a nascent solar panel lending program that it would like to grow. Currently, the program is limited by loan covenants restricting the use of funds to on-lending for income generating projects only, for which solar does not qualify. Unrestricted funds from Envest would give NEED MFI the opportunity to grow the solar panel lending program.
More information: http://www.needmfi.in/