Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status update — October 18, 2019
After 7 years of partnership and nearly 4 years of ongoing efforts to work with WSDS-Initiate to collect the outstanding balance of $558,025 owed to Kiva lenders, we have concluded that WSDS will not be able to repay Kiva lenders the amount owed. Due to political and economic instability in the region, WSDS has faced challenges in collecting repayments from borrowers. Kiva staff have visited WSDS and offered to restructure payments on several occasions. Following the most recent visit in April 2019, Kiva's assessment is that WSDS has ceased the bulk of its operations and is no longer attempting to collect repayments from borrowers. As such, we have decided to default WSDS's balance and to close this partnership.

Please know that even when losses occur, your Kiva loans are still helping make a difference in the lives of borrowers around the globe, and your support gives people an opportunity to pursue better lives. We hope you'll continue to support other borrowers on Kiva.

Status update — August 8, 2017
Kiva is moving WSDS Initiate from Inactive to Paused, as the organization is currently 12 months behind on repaying funds owed to Kiva lenders. While Kiva continues to actively monitor this situation, there are a variety of reasons why this organization has had difficulty making repayments recently.

The majority of WSDS’s borrowers live and work in the unstable Manipur state in North-Eastern India. Manipur has seen continued economic blockades and violent protests in the past several months which have made it difficult for WSDS and other microfinance institutions to operate. Due to the political and economic instability in this region and the ongoing protests, WSDS’s clients are facing challenges in their daily lives that make it difficult to repay their loans. In addition, this political instability has resulted in WSDS facing cashflow problems, and has therefore been unable to access liquid assets, such as cash and short term borrowing. This has strained its disbursement operations, causing it to be unable to repay Kiva and its lenders.

Kiva continue to work with this partner to recover the amount owed to Kiva lenders, and will provide additional relevant information as it becomes available.

Status update — December 26, 2016

Due to regulatory changes by the government of India, Kiva is no longer able to send funds to WSDS-Initiate. As a result, Kiva has moved this Lending Partner to inactive status. This means WSDS-Initiate is no longer fundraising loans on the website, though Kiva fully expects the partner to continue to send repayments owed to Kiva lenders for as long as the partner has an outstanding balance. If the regulations change and this partner requests to fundraise on Kiva again, Kiva is willing to re-open their line of funding. We will first conduct any additional monitoring and due diligence tasks we believe necessary before allowing the partner begin fundraising for new loans.

Partner description:

WSDS-Initiate is a non-profit organization active in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Founded in 1989 to respond to ethnic conflict between the region’s three major tribes, WSDS has long supported young people, women, and vulnerable communities. Today, the organization is involved in a range of development activities, including resource management, community health, social security, and microfinance.

Working in four districts of the state, WSDS currently has seven branches, an outstanding portfolio of Rs. 21.6 million (about USD$390,000), and 13,052 women clients.

WSDS works with all of the tribes in Manipur, as well as other minority groups like Nepali immigrants and Muslims. Formal financial services are severely lacking in the state -- a problem that is particularly acute in low-income communities in the remote hills region. WSDS launched its microfinance program in 2007 to address this issue, and to sustain its existing initiatives.

Active primarily in the hills of Manipur, the organization primarily works with self-help groups to extend credit and encourage borrowers to save. Supporting these groups builds on local traditions. For example, the state’s Kuki community regularly forms cooperatives at the village level to provide agricultural support and leadership.

WSDS clients use Kiva-funded loans to start and grow their small businesses. Many of these individuals come from groups and communities that have been unable to obtain credit in the past due to scarcity of financial services and institutions in the region. Kiva’s zero-interest capital will also strengthen WSDS’ financial position, allowing it to expand all of its programs for social good.