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

August 6, 2020 - COVID-19 Update:

Kiva has been in contact with SPBD Samoa to understand how we can best support their business and borrowers during the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of all staff, borrowers and their families as this global pandemic continues.

While country-specific responses to the crisis vary, most governments have imposed curfews, travel restrictions, and nation-wide shutdowns. Samoa has imposed temporary moratoriums on loan payments, affecting not only microfinance, but the economy as a whole.

As a result, borrowers and SPBD Samoa may experience difficulty making and collecting loan repayments due to the aforementioned restrictions or fallout effects of the virus. Over the coming months, it’s possible that lenders will see a delay in repayments and new loans posted by SPBD Samoa. As an impact-first funder, Kiva is committed to serving our Lending Partners, as in past crises. We are sympathetic to temporary increases in repayment delays and delinquency in order to help Lending Partners and borrower communities recover. 

Kiva is working closely with SPBD Samoa to support them and their borrowers through the COVID-19 crisis. SPBD Samoa is sending regular updates to Kiva, and we'll update Partner Pages as we learn more. 

On behalf of Kiva and SPBD Samoa, we’re grateful for your continued support through this difficult time.

Partner Description:

South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) improves conditions for families living in poverty by providing accessible credit, training, and guidance to help them start, grow and maintain micro-businesses, build assets, finance home improvements, and afford to educate their children.

SPBD’s vision is to create a network of micro-enterprise development organizations in the South Pacific and neighboring regions to empower women through financial access and economic development, and to help them lift themselves and their families permanently out of poverty.

Target clients

SPBD serves women living in both rural and peri-urban areas who are vulnerable to poverty. They include single mothers, the unemployed, minorities, the disabled, the unbanked, and victims of domestic violence. Of the total number of loans distributed:

• 99% go to women
• 80% go to clients living in rural areas
• 40% go to single mothers

Financial Literacy Program

SPBD complements its financial product offerings with financial literacy training and weekly access to business training support. SPBD’s Financial Literacy Program teaches women financial management best practices to assess how their business is performing and to maximize their profits. This, in turn, leaves more money available to invest in their children’s education, upgrading housing conditions, and saving for the future. 

Methodology

SPBD follows the Grameen Bank model of microfinance. Poor people in Samoa face “poverty of opportunity” because there are few formal employment openings available in the country. For most rural Samoans, jobs simply don’t exist. 

To reach these people, SPBD has women in rural villages self-select groups of four to seven to receive loans. In each village, there is usually two to five SPBD groups. The members of these peer groups support and guarantee one another. They approve one another’s business plans and loan applications. They also act as weekly guarantors on all loan repayments, and motivate each other to succeed. For example, if a client falls ill, her group will help with her business until she recovers. If a client gets discouraged, the support group will pull her through. This contributes substantially to the extremely high repayment rate on loans made to microfinance groups.

SPBD has weekly meetings in local villages with all of its clients. At these meetings, all SPBD-related business takes place, including business training modules, review of business plans, loan applications and approvals, weekly loan repayments, savings deposits, and ongoing mentoring and coaching.

Products

SPBD provides small, unsecured loans of around US$400 to groups of rural women who invest in businesses based on their existing skills. They are given training, ongoing guidance and motivation to help them grow small income-generating endeavors so that they can work their way out of poverty. This is a very structured program with clear rules.

From their second loan onwards, members are encouraged to invest the proceeds of their loans in basic housing improvements and child education. SPBD helps to ensure that the children of all of its members receive a proper education by providing financing to pay for school fees, school uniforms and textbooks.

SPBD works to improve household wellbeing by providing financing for basic housing improvements, like accessing electricity, running piped water, installing proper sanitation, building a secure foundation (instead of a dirt floor), and replacing grass roofs with more durable and resilient tin. 

It’s expensive and difficult for the poor to open bank accounts at traditional commercial banks. SPBD helps members save for a rainy day and develop good financial habits by providing a basic savings service. By saving with SPBD, members have a safe and convenient place to make small and regular savings deposits.

SPBD also offers a loan and life insurance product to all of its members. In the event of a member’s death, her family receives financial assistance. This assurance of no hardship for the remaining family is something that many members greatly value.

SPBD Samoa

Started in January of 2000, SPBD Samoa is SPBD’s first location and is its largest operation. SPBD operates in every village in the country. Since its inception, the organization has made microfinance loans to over 40,000 women totaling 55 million Samoan Tala (US$23.9 million).