FINCA's Immediate Response to the Earthquake

Six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, learn what a difference FINCA donors' contributions have made for earthquake survivors, and review FINCA's plan to help Village Banking clients rebuild their lives in coming months.

USDA Grants Support Rural Clients in Nicaragua and Honduras

USDA officials visited FINCA Nicaragua clients benefiting from a USDA Food for Progress grant, which has enabled the program to expand its outreach and lending to agricultural clients. The farmers said their harvests and incomes had greatly increased, thanks to their FINCA loans, with which they purchased seeds and fertilizer. The USDA also announced a new grant for FINCA Honduras which will enable it to expand outreach to rural clients and offer specialized loans for farmers to buy equipment, undergo training, and improve their efficiency. To the left: FINCA Honduras Country Director Francisco Galeano with the U.S Embassy’s Ana Gomez and Bob Hoff

FINCA Kyrgyzstan Update

Ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June led to the deaths of thousands—mostly Uzbeks—while hundreds of thousands fled the country. Fourteen FINCA clients died or were reported missing; hundreds of client businesses were looted or burned. FINCA offices in the region closed for several days, but operations continued elsewhere in the country, and staff volunteers loaded boxes of food onto airplanes in support of international relief efforts. At present, FINCA’s staff has been visiting clients to assess their situations. The program is developing an approach to revise and restructure loans for clients directly impacted by the fighting.

One of the largest programs in the FINCA network, FINCA Kyrgyzstanserves over 107,000 clients in a country with 20 percent unemployment; where over 35 percent of the population survives on less than $2 per day. If you wish to help FINCA support its clients in Kyrgyzstan, click here.