This loan is a special product offered by Apoyo Integral to help impoverished individuals in El Salvador make improvements to their homes, so as to offer safer and healthier living conditions to their families. These are individual loans for which the Field Partner has significantly lowered their guarantee standards because
the borrower is grouped with other Apoyo clients in a solidarity agreement. Normally, families at certain income levels are not eligible for housing loans. However, since group members are cross guaranteeing one another, Apoyo Integral has decided to fund these loans. Further, the field partner is working through local community development organizations to not only determine which families are the best candidates for the loans but also to offer technical assistance and education for loan recipients covering topics such as financial education, proper hygiene and sanitation, and efficient use of electricity.
About Apoyo Integral:
Apoyo Integral (Apoyo) is a nonprofit organization offering financial products that enable clients to increase their working capital, purchase fixed assets, buy and remodel homes, expand agricultural business and more. The organization?s target group is businessmen and women who have already established their businesses but need financial support to strengthen or expand them.
Like Kiva, Apoyo is committed to empowering women involved in business activities in rural areas. Kiva lenders? funds will be used to expand these services to an even greater number of poor clients in rural areas.