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, with the potential to aid up to 50,000 borrowers.
In addition to these recovery grants, H.E.L.P. is helping to stop the contraction of lending by microfinance institutions (MFIs). H.E.L.P. bought up the loans affected by the earthquake, provide funds to these institutions, 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.
The H.E.L.P. Facility has engaged two microfinance institutions and is continuing its search for others.
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
This catalytic grant from the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund:
- Provided key recovery grants to major Haitian microfinance institutions, allowing them to remain operational, aiding up to 50,000 borrowers.
- 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 base.
- 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.
