Welcome to the Microfinance Investment Fund, more often referred to as “The Fund.” The goal of the Fund is to partner with small but promising microfinance banks across the world, providing them with needed capital for loans and student assistance, while teaching our student members about how to make an effective development partnership that is respectful of local perspective and mutually beneficial.
This year we are partnering with Nkokonjeru Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO), in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. This member-owned cooperative bank has grown from just 30 members in 2006 to more than 300 by the end of 2008. However, they lack the capital to meet the growing demand for their loans, which now includes entrepreneurs in neighboring villages that travel hours to visit SACCO’s office. We believe that SACCO is a promising, young organization with strong leadership, that can have tremendous impact on low-income borrowers in their region of Uganda. The fund is providing SACCO with capital that will double their current assets, student interns this summer to help expand their services, and support for increased staffing. Through this partnership SACCO will continue to grow and improve their portfolio and bring opportunity to more low-income entrepreneurs in Nkokonjeru. Once the funds have been dispersed, students will then follow-up with site visits where they will track the funds’ impact on the local community in Uganda this summer, and in subsequent investments we make across the world.
Some of the advantages of our model include:
- A proven model based on traditional student investment groups on campuses across the U.S.
- A broad support network through the DMLI leadership, as well as several departments and programs at Duke University.
- A unique niche. Due to the rapid growth of microfinance, little has been done to evaluate the end result of loans beyond whether they are paid back or not. The MIF will go beyond repayment rates to look at the way our investments change lives and transform communities.
If you are interested in helping our work, we are currently accepting donations from organizations and individuals. By supporting the MIF you will be opening the door for students to gain invaluable exposure to one of the most inventive areas of international development today. Moreover, you will be providing the kind of support so desperately needed by small-scale entrepreneurs in various under-served communities around the world. Through our hands-on monitoring process, we can also keep you informed on our progress and help assure you that your investment has an impact in the communities that partner with the Fund. So please help us make this dream a reality. Send your donation to the Student Microfinance Investment Fund today!
Donations can be made online at adr.duke.edu,
Once at adr.duke.edu, just follow these three steps:
1. Click on the “make a gift now” option.
2. Click on the “make a credit card gift” link on the left-hand side of the webpage.
3. When filling out the donation form, please include “Microfinance Investment
Fund, Fund Code 3995031″ in the field “Additional/Other Designations” near the bottom of the page.
To give via mail, please make all checks payable to Duke University, and mail to:
Duke Microfinance Leadership Initiative, c/o Alumni & Development Records,
Duke University, Box 90581,
Durham, NC 27708-0581.
Please write “Microfinance Investment Fund, Fund Code 3995031″ on the information line of the check.
All donations are taxdeductible.
