Programs: H.E.L.P.
Announced:
July 7, 2010
Category:
Supporting Micro Finance Institutions & Micro Entrepreneurs
Fund Amount: $250,000 Grant
Disbursed to Date: $250,000
Above, Desiral sustains her fish business
with a FINCA loan, made possible by HELP.
See more in the HELP Photo Gallery.
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund contributed $250,000 to launch the Haitian Emergency Liquidity Program (H.E.L.P.), designed to inject needed liquidity into key microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Haiti. This catalytic grant provided key recovery grants to major Haitian microfinance institutions, which allowed them to remain operational.
H.E.L.P. bought up the loans affected by the earthquake, providing funds to these institutions and allowing them to preserve their capital base. The program supported businesswomen and rural borrowers who depend on these microloans to survive. The project had an initial budget of $2 million, which represented 12.5 percent of the capital in the microfinance institution sector in Haiti.
Why We Invested in H.E.L.P.
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund's catalytic grant to H.E.L.P. reflects our commitment to supporting the restart and expansion of small businesses — as well as filling near-term gaps that lay the foundation for long-term reconstruction.
Transforming Lives and Livelihoods
- Disbursed funds to microfinance institutions FINCA, FHAF, and ACME, to restructure loans benefitting 4,280 borrowers.
- Provided key recovery grants to major Haitian microfinance institutions, allowing them to remain operational.
- Stopped the contraction of lending by microfinance institutions by buying up the loans affected by the earthquake, providing funds to these institutions, and allowing them to preserve their capital.
- Supported businesswomen and rural borrowers who depend on these microloans to survive.
About H.E.L.P.
The Haitian Emergency Liquidity Program (H.E.L.P.) is an initiative created by the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and various key partners to ensure the availability of microcredit in Haiti. The project had an initial budget of $2 million, which represented 12.5 percent of the entire capital in the microfinance institution sector in Haiti.
