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 - February 9, 2024:

Sembrar Sartawi is in the process of being acquired by another microfinance institution in Bolivia and pending to get approval by the regulator. For this reason, payments to Kiva will be delayed until this process is completed. We expect payments to resume once the acquisition is finalized and a new amortization schedule is negotiated with the new entity.

Status Update - April 19, 2021:

The Bolivian government has implemented loan payment moratoriums since the beginning of the pandemic. Those moratoriums have been extended twice and are currently set to expire in June of this year. However, they may be extended again. The result of these moratoriums is that our Lending Partners in Bolivia have received only limited repayments from their clients. For this reason, it is likely that your repayments for loans from our Lending Partners in Bolivia will continue to be delayed.

June 9, 2020 - COVID-19 Update:

Kiva has been in contact with Sembrar Sartawi 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. Bolivia has imposed temporary moratoriums on loan payments, affecting not only microfinance, but the economy as a whole. 

As a result, borrowers and Sembrar Sartawi 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 Sembrar Sartawi. 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 Sembrar Sartawi to support them and their borrowers through the COVID-19 crisis. Sembrar Sartawi is sending regular updates to Kiva, and we'll update Partner Pages as we learn more. 

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

Status Update:

Protests have been on-going in Bolivia due to the contested elections on October 20th. There have been street demonstrations and road blockages across much of the country. Unfortunately, the protests and other demonstrations have resulted in the loss of life and impacted the economy of Bolivia. However, some stability has returned to the country and new elections have been announced for early in 2020. We have been in contact with our partners and are currently monitoring the situation closely as Kiva borrowers and partner staff have been affected by the unrest. This might result in an increase in delinquency rates since a lot of informal economic activities have been impacted. As more information comes in, we will update lenders accordingly.

Partner description:

Sembrar Sartawi is a microfinance institution located in Bolivia. They focus on improving farm productivity, which increases incomes for smallholder farmers in rural areas, where almost 2/3 of the population live below the poverty line and nearly half live in extreme poverty. 

Sartawi combines their loan products with technical advisory services to adopt agricultural best practices and improve productivity through the use of new and better farming technologies. They also offer extensive financial education programming, and tools to mitigate the effects of climate change, including a micro-insurance product. To further increase their positive impact, Sartawi facilitates access to markets with up-to-date pricing information for their clients to support fair incomes. 

In addition to agricultural loans, Sartawi offers a range of other microcredit options, such as village banking loans, which provide financial services to low-income borrowers, the majority of whom are women. In 2016, Sartawi merged with former Kiva Lending Partner, Emprender, to diversify their portfolio.

A unique lending approach:

Sembrar Sartawi provides additional integrative services for their clients, such as micro-insurance plans and guidance for new farming technology. This comprehensive support provides farmers with the means to succeed in a higher risk sector. Sartawi also uses mobile messaging for repayment reminders, which allows them to easily communicate with their rural borrowers.