Adding to basket
Friendship Bridge is a nonprofit social enterprise helping empower Guatemalan women to build better lives through microfinance, education, and preventive health services. They work primarily with indigenous populations in rural areas where the poverty rate is highest in Guatemala.
Since 2007, Friendship Bridge has worked with Kiva lenders to provide loans to over 25,220 people with more than $11.4 million lent through Kiva. While historically a stable and growing organization, Friendship Bridge's operations have been impacted by the global COVID-19 crisis that led Guatemala to initiate a nationwide lockdown. This resulted in a reduction of their ability to disburse loans and to receive repayments on the loans they already disbursed.
In response, Friendship Bridge began offering its clients the option to restructure loans, provide grace periods and reduce interest rates. In addition, they transitioned to remote operations making thousands of phone calls, providing telehealth services, and launching a system for remote staff collaboration. This loan will be used to expand these creative technology solutions, including mobile payments and remote client communication and telehealth programs.
This loan is part of Kiva’s Crisis Support Loan program to assist our Field Partners directly so they can continue to support our borrowers. Because it is part of a pilot program, this loan may have a higher risk. Read more in the "More about this loan" section below.
Translated from Spanish. View original language description.
