RDF, Uganda

Partner since 2025

RDF began in 2010 as the Rural Development Foundation, a grassroots initiative focused on financial literacy and home sanitation in rural communities in Masaka, Uganda and became a non-deposit-taking microfinance institution in 2018. RDF maintains a 100% rural portfolio, with over 80% of its borrowers being women—an unusually high rate in Uganda, achieved through targeted outreach and the development of group loan products tailored specifically for women.

Currently, 83% of RDF’s portfolio supports Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), while 17% consists of individual loans. VSLAs are particularly effective for women in rural Uganda, as the group structure serves as a form of collateral—something these women typically lack. The average loan size is $262, making RDF one of the most accessible lenders in the microfinance sector.

All RDF clients are served remotely via mobile money, allowing access for borrowers who live far from the organization’s offices. RDF has demonstrated strong financial performance, and its leadership plans to use the much-needed funding from Envest to scale its green energy product that was launched in February 2025, and to introduce a new loan product for water tanks and irrigation solutions.