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Social Metrics in Microfinance: More Than What Meets The Eye
By: Jon Bishop, CEO and Founder
and Annette Ecila, East Africa Representative
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We are often asked to showcase Envest’s social impact via metrics. Using social metrics as a proxy for impact has its place – it is a quick and reliable way to distinguish those who walk the talk from those that just talk the talk. However, as is the case in so many aspects of microfinance, there is nuance that can be lost if we rely too heavily on these metrics alone to assess impact. We would like to share a story with you that flies squarely in the face of the top three social metrics that we consider but demonstrates social impact that is undeniable.
Ebenezer Medical Center
David Barasa and his wife Jacinta Kyarikora own and operate Ebenezer Medical Center, a pediatric clinic in Mbarara, Uganda. They established a clinic in 2015 and expanded into a medical center in 2023 with financing from Envest partner Kigarama Farmers SACCO. The medical center has 35 beds and provides outpatient and inpatient care, including minor surgery. Read more
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David Baraza, Ebenezer Medical Center founder, in the pediatric medical center he owns and operates with his wife Jacinta Kyarikora in Southwest Uganda.
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Borrower Feature:
Kenyan Borrower Highlights and The Power Of Electric Motorcycles
By: Sarah Rao, Special Projects Lead
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Benjamin Omukanda, end borrower of Fortune Credit, an Envest partner, with his Fortune-funded electric motorcycle
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Benjamin Omukanda works full-time in Nairobi, Kenya, transporting passengers and delivering parcels on his electric motorcycle. He purchased the motorcycle with a microloan from Fortune Credit, an Envest partner.
Before receiving the loan, Benjamin worked informally as a security guard and often worried about having enough money to feed his family at the end of each month. He had the determination to improve his circumstance, but lacked the financing needed to create a different future. Through his new transport business, he can now comfortably meet his household needs, make Fortune's small, flexible daily loan payments, and has even begun to save for the future.
Financing electric motorcycles and other solar-powered productive-use assets is one way Fortune is supporting a greener future for Kenya. Fortune is committed to removing capital and clean-asset access barriers and to empowering low-income entrepreneurs, like Benjamin, to improve their own livelihoods.
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The Central American and Caribbean Microfinance Network (REDCAMIF) Conference in The Dominican Republic
By: Jon Bishop, CEO and Founder
and Elizabeth Rodriguez, Director of Lending
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We attended the Central American Microfinance Network (REDCAMIF) Conference this June in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Despite the name, the conference has grown to serve all countries throughout Latin America and convened 845 attendees from 23 countries at this year’s conference. In addition to facilitating face-to-face meetings with many of our Latin American partners, the conference reinforced our market niche – serving very small microfinance institutions (MFIs) that have big social impact. Read more |
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From left to right: Envest's Elizabeth Rodriguez & Jon Bishop with Jose Luis Gonzalez, Director of Oportun, Envest's partner microfinance institution in El Salvador
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Changing a Diaper, Be Right Back: Motherhood and Working at Envest
By: Laura Dreese, Director of Strategy
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The Envest team including Laura Dreese, Director of Strategy, and her two young children (top middle) - Envest's youngest impact investors! - on an early August Zoom call
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"Changing a diaper, be right back."
Or sometimes: "Can we take a five-minute break so I can calm him down?"
I've said some version of those words more times than I can count over the past four years since becoming a mom while working at Envest. After recently returning from maternity leave with my second child, I've found myself saying them all over again. Read more
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Team Updates
By: Jon Bishop, CEO and Founder
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Our management team has evolved over the past several months with new additions and leadership transitions. Meet the team and read more about these updates here.
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