Partner since: 2014

 

Pana Pana, which means “mutual help” in the indigenous, Miskitu language, is a small microfinance organization located on Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast. Pana Pana was founded in 1991 to provide financial and non-financial services to people living in the Region Autonoma del Atlántico Norte (RAAN), a semi-autonomous region of Nicaragua, which was heavily affected by the Nicaraguan civil war. The majority of Pana Pana’s borrowers are indigenous, and many of the transactions take place in the Miskitu language. In addition to financial services, Pana Pana administers water and sanitation projects in an area with underdeveloped infrastructure. Women comprise the majority of Pana Pana’s borrowers at 70%. The average loan size is $611, which is below the average of $900 for the Nicaraguan microfinance sector. This indicates that Pana Pana interacts with the low end of the financial spectrum in the nation.

 

More information: http://panapanaimf.org/