Posts filed under ‘ASDIR’

Guatemala’s Trash Problem and One Pueblo’s Response

Totonicapan Trash Pile

Ice cream wrappers, dirty diapers, plastic bags and rotting fruit have a tendency of stewing together into one the most truly foul concoctions known to man. This, unfortunately, is the recipe I find on most patches of green alongside roads and in the cities of Totonicapan, Guatemala. With little government help, what can the people to do stop this?

Continue Reading 15 April 2011 at 10:00 3 comments

Corn People: A Staple Food and the Key to Human Creation

Corn Hanging

If there is one common denominator for the rural homes in the Guatemalan highlands it is the cornfield. Sitting adjacent to most homes, the fields can be seen for miles from any high point overlooking a rural populated region. As we approach the end of the dry season, I watch workers routinely till the soil in preparation for the rains that will help sprout this precious crop.

However, the crop is more than just a food source; it is a key component to the creation myth in the Popol Vuh, the collection of mytho-historical narratives surrounding the creation of Quiché Mayan people.

Continue Reading 24 March 2011 at 15:00 5 comments

The Microcredit Saleswoman

by Gustavo Visalli, KF14

Canasteras Group and Loan Officer

A loan officer (center) meets with her clients

One key challenge to spreading microcredit in rural Guatemalan communities is actually finding entrepreneurs who are looking for a loan. In the rural highlands borrowers are not exactly surfing Google in their search for a way to expand their businesses. This makes monthly promotions crucial to finding new clients and keeping the Microfinance Institution (MFI) afloat. (It has also proved challenging to keep up with Kiva lenders; at the end of February all loans were fully funded at one point on Kiva!)

Yolanda, a loan officer in one of ASDIRs rural branch offices, let me tag along one day to experience firsthand how challenging this can be.

ASDIR loan officers must rely on word of mouth and make themselves as accessible as possible to prospective borrowers. We rode a microbus (Yolanda is not a fan of riding on motorbikes) for an hour up and down a rough dirt road. Our goal was to reach and meet with previous clients and inquire about any possible new prospects.

We forgot that we were travelling on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday here in Guatemala. This day involves groups of young boys running around throwing rotten eggs and handfuls of flour at teachers, young girls, and apparently, loan officers and Kiva Fellows:

I was initially surprised that Yolanda offered to take me along on one of these promotional visits (I imagined a loan officer knocking on every door in the neighborhood and dishing out the same sales pitch). However, Yolanda had a very casual and respectful approach with her contacts. Watching her interact with members of Las Canasteras Group was like watching old friends catch up after months of absence. This could be why ASDIR has so many repeat borrowers.

Las Canasteras Group has three previous loans with ASDIR. One group member, Doña Loida Isabel, used her portion of the loan to develop her general goods store and chicken raising business. Her previous loan is 100% repaid, and we spoke about the possibility of the group’s next loan and its use.

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Back home in the U.S., door to door salespeople lose their credibility with me the moment they ring my doorbell. If your product is so amazing, why does it require you to travel to my doorstep for me to hear about it? Rural microloans obviously do not apply to this reasoning because of accessibility. An MFI requires loan officers with the drive of a salesperson in order to stay sustainable. This drive combined with an honest approach to new and existing clients is an art which Yolanda has clearly mastered.

ASDIR’s partnership with Kiva makes ASDIR loans even more accessible to the rural community. It’s the hard work in the field at the beginning of the month that keeps new profiles popping up on Kiva.org.

Gustavo is a Kiva Fellow working with Asociación ASDIR in Totonicapán, Guatemala. He forgot about being covered in flour after a few hours and wondered why he was getting so many strange looks and laughs for the rest of the day.

Take 20 seconds to join the Amigos de ASDIR lending team on Kiva today!

Gustavo’s previous posts:

Community Vigilantism Keeps Toto Tranquil

The Highland Commute

11 March 2011 at 12:00 4 comments

Knowing and Understanding, Saber y Entender

by Carlos Cruz Montano KF14
One of my local friends came to me one day… “Mr. Montano I need to talk to you”. Later that day he told me he had to send money to his mother and had other expenses but payday which was still a few days away. We agreed on the terms, half with the current month’s pay and the other half with the following month’s pay; both at the end of the month since that’s when he receives his pay. No big deal, I thought.The first paydate came and went – no payment. He had an explanation and reasoning of how we had agreed for him to pay on the 14th of the month – to his credit he did pay back the first half on that day but this simple incident finally made me understand what three directors at different microfinance institutions (MFIs) had been telling me in one way or another, sometimes borrowers simply do not understand the terms of the loan.

Uno de mis amigos llegó un día muy sonriente y me dijo Señor Montano, necesito hablar con usted. Un rato después me explicó que tenía una pequeña emergencia y debía mandar un poco de dinero a su mamá pero todavía faltaban varios días para el fin de mes (que es cuando recibe su sueldo mensual). Después de platicar llegamos a un acuerdo, yo le iba a prestar el dinero; el haría dos pagos en el último día del mes, es cuando recibe su salario. Pasó el último día del mes como si nada, cuando lo volví a ver le pregunte que había pasado. El me salió con una historia que el había acordado pagarme a mitad de mes. Al final si me pagó pero este pequeño incidente finalmente me hizo enteder lo que tres directores de instituciones de microfinanzas (IMFs) me habian comentado: a veces los clientes simplemente no entienden los términos del contrato.

Continue Reading 1 March 2011 at 11:49 4 comments

Update from the Field: Videos, Epic Commutes + Going Beyond Microfinance

Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa

Another week, another incredible range of dispatches from around the world. Several Fellows told their stories with video and pictures while others took time to reflect on the state of microfinance as a global industry and in their respective countries. And what would a week in the field be without getting to know a few borrowers? Plus, scroll to the end of the post for pictures you may have missed the first time around.

Continue Reading 28 February 2011 at 00:38 10 comments

The Highland Commute

by Gustavo Visalli, KF14, Guatemala

Highland Commute

Commutes are a part of life. In college I lived in a town with more bikes than people, so I had a relaxing bike ride to class every day. Back home in San Francisco I had the pleasure of reading about my World Series Champion Giants on the train to work. Easy transport increases our range. This allows us to access more resources with little effort (even those of us without cars).

Daily travel is not so simple here in Guatemala. It is a significant barrier for many looking for access to resources such as food markets or financial services. To keep microfinance accessible to the rural communities, MFIs like ASDIR must travel to the client for visits and loan interviews. Fellow KF14 member Nila’s breakdown of one MFI expenses show that staff travel expense is second only to staff salaries. That’s a lot of client visits!

Allow me to illustrate the difficulty of car-less travel here in Guatemala by giving a taste of my evening commute:

First is the Sardine Act: the microbus to the main road. At a $0.12 fare, drivers will pack in as many passengers as is illegally allowable. In a 10 seat minivan, I have counted an estimated 22 high school kids and one full sized Gustavo. It is not uncommon for us to spill out onto the top and side steps of the van. On a road full of mostly ignored speed bumps, this makes for a very interesting ride.

Microbus Guatemala

Add 22 students and one Gustavo to get the full image.

Next comes the highway shoulder hike, which I briefly mention in my previous post. This is pretty self-explanatory. As you can see, there isn’t much of a shoulder. I have found that pickup trucks in particular are not shy about keeping things uncomfortably close.

Highway Shoulder Hiking

After a hike through the nightly market in town, it’s time for the main event:

“El Carnicero” is the final boss. I call it the butcher because I pass the municipal slaughterhouse before facing this monster hill. Elder Guatemalan women seem to be able to conquer this beast on a daily basis without losing  too much breath. My sea-level lungs are not quite at that point.

Medium distance travel is a burden for many rural residents in Guatemala. It often takes hours and is rarely as comfortable as a cushioned train seat. This limits many residents to the shops, services, and resources of their surrounding area. Limited resources equals limited development, which is something ASDIR and other social organizations are working to change here.

As for my daily commute: bring on the carnicero. I’ll be back on the train reading about the Giants soon enough.

Gustavo is a Kiva Fellow working with Asociación ASDIR in Nimasac, Guatemala. Check out the brand new ASDIR Lending Team on the Kiva website.

25 February 2011 at 14:00 7 comments

Community Vigilantism Keeps Toto Tranquil

By Gustavo Visalli, KF14, Guatemala

“Esto no es Guate, ni Xela. Aquí las calles son seguras. (This is not like Guatemala City, or even Xela. The streets here are safe).”  My wonderful host in the village of Cojxac is reassuring me of the safety of the streets at night. It is my first month as a Kiva Fellow in the region of Totonicapán (aka Toto), Guatemala.  I secretly doubt my host’s words as I nod, since the ominous streets outside seem like the perfect place for a good old fashioned mugging. These prejudicial thoughts first came up as my chicken bus screeched into town. I then planned to spend many long nights safe at home re-reading my copy of The Hobbit. Ah, the crazy nightlife of a Kiva Fellow.

However, my host continued to explain that the community has a strong presence in the region. A thief, he recounted, recently stole an old woman’s bag on the main road. Alert neighbors blew their whistles and the thief was quickly apprehended. They shaved his head, displayed him to the town and warned him that he had 12 hours to gather his belongings and leave, never to return.

Vigilantism in Guatemala
Banners reading “Vecinos Organizados Contra la Delincuencia (Neighbors Organized Against Delinquency)” hang across the main road. My first thoughts were that this community had an unusually enthusiastic public concern regarding loan delinquency, but I soon learned otherwise. Delinquency = crime, not loan delinquency, in this case.

A lack of police presence sparked this community vigilantism. Of course, the question arises: How far can or should these community groups take this street justice? Is the victim of vigilantism always guilty of a crime? These are questions beyond the scope of this post. However we look at it, the intensely tight knit community identity fascinates me. This small scale organization has minimized criminal activity in the streets, and this group mentality is widespread throughout the region. Can most of us say the same for the communities in which we live?

Asociación ASDIR, a Kiva field partner in the region, is built upon this cohesion. Rural communal banks of 4-20 members are regular ASDIR borrowers. Utilizing the strength and financial security of cooperating group members, these entrepreneurs join together for loans which support their various developing working projects. Las Mujeres Emprendedoras Santa Ana (The Enterprising Women’s Group of Santa Ana) is a wonderful example.

If a neighborhood can come together to protect one another from criminals, it can certainly develop strong projects which help develop the community as a whole. ASDIR and Kiva help make this happen.  With such a strong community identity, working together out of poverty is a goal that Kiva, ASDIR, and Kiva lenders are happy to support (want to lend?). Toto is a community built on respect for your fellow compañero, and I look forward to becoming a part of it in the coming months.

Gustavo is a Kiva Fellow working with Asociación ASDIR in Nimasac, Guatemala. He has become an expert in a new extreme sport: highway shoulder hiking, and is excited to live and work in the Guatemala highlands.

9 February 2011 at 08:00 12 comments

Going Above and Beyond

By: Eric Burdullis, KF12, ASDIR

I was impressed. When I first stepped into ASDIR´s office, I was confronted with half a dozen banners listing the details of all the services they offer. The first banner was for Seguros Columna: an insurance agency that ASDIR pays for to offer life insurance to its clients (essentially, if a client dies, ASDIR cancels the loan: a great service for the family of someone in poverty). A second and third advertised a service to send and receive remittances through Western Union and Sigue. A fourth advertised saving services through G & T Continental (microfinance institutions can´t accept savings legally here in Guatemala). The fifth advertised payment by check as well as bill pay for water and electricity, and the sixth advertised prepaid cell phones. All this on top of a wide variety of loan products from small Q1000 loans to women with only the idea of a business within village banks to Q70,000 loans to medium sized businesses; from loans being used to improve housing to emergency loans for personal consumption.

Continue Reading 9 September 2010 at 21:30 3 comments

Ignorance is bliss?

By Carlos Cruz Montaño, KF10 Guatemala

Have you read cartoons before understanding what they really meant? Ignorance is bliss from Calvin & Hobbes is definitely one of those cartoons for me. I worked as a design engineer before and in many occasions I thought I was asking a yes/no question but it never turned out to be that simple. You have to approach problems knowing the basic principles, look carefully at the details, make decisions and learn from your mistakes. As an engineer, the product of my work was an object and I needed technical knowledge; as a Kiva Fellow, I work on a process that involves many within an organization and I need to know the surrounding issues and understand the environment they are working in.

Continue Reading 18 April 2010 at 01:00 4 comments

More Signatures & Less Fingerprints

Going through borrower files I found finger prints in the signature line of many documents but didn’t think much about it until I went to the field to actually meet borrowers…

Al revisar expedientes de asociados (clientes) encontré varios documentos con huellas digitales en lugar de firmas. No le puse más atención hasta que salí de la oficina a conocer clientes…

Continue Reading 19 March 2010 at 11:02 7 comments

Who really cares about Kiva loans? The difference between Kiva and MFI loans

There’s differing opinions and many comments on the default protection policy where partners will no longer be able to guarantee Kiva loans (see posts by Claude Mansell and Nicky Goh), many of you Kiva Lenders are worried this move will greatly affect your portfolio and that MFIs will not care as much about delinquency and default in Kiva loans, but I ask… are you alone?

Continue Reading 27 February 2010 at 10:00 5 comments

5′-6″ (1.65m) Tall or Short?

As a kid growing up, and now at 5’-6” tall I’ve always been on the short side, among friends, classmates, teammates, you name it! As I walk around town and meet people in my new town, I noticed I’m actually a tall person around here. Never thought being a Kiva Fellow would make me tall… anyways, what is interesting is that it depends on your reference point.

Continue Reading 11 February 2010 at 15:59 22 comments

You have internet but no running water?

Someone asked me how it was that I seemed to have (almost) constant access to the internet AND no indoor running water or heat. From an American perspective, it seems irrational and contradictory. But, Guatemala is filled with (seeming) contradictions and contrasts. I suspect that many of my “fellow” fellows have experienced the same in the countries where they are working.

The family I live with has satellite TV, a wide screen television (and a television in every bedroom) but they have no indoor running water or heating. They still wash their laundry by hand in a lavadero, outside.  They cook over a wood stove. The water for showers is heated by a fire lit under a big black drum, which they fill with water early, every morning (before the water runs out). They make their own masa from the corn that they grow. And they all have cell phones, MP3 players and their favorite “novellas” (soap operas) on television.

Thatched roof home with satellite television
Thatched roof home with satellite television in Tulate

The office where I work has internet access (including wi-fi) and right outside my window, there is an elderly couple working their land like it’s probably been worked for centuries—all by hand, living in an adobe structure (with no running water or heat). One of my most surreal experiences during this fellowship was the day I was sitting in my little office at ASDIR, uploading Kiva borrower videos to YouTube; listening to a loan officer explain the terms of a loan in K’iche and, through my office window, watching the elderly couple plant their corn.

the view from ASDIR
the view from my ASDIR office in Nimasac

At dinner, in the weeks before Easter, my host family would sit around the dinner table and listen to the story of Christ’s resurrection told in K’iche, being broadcast over a radio on someone’s cell phone.

The inside of their stores and homes are very tidy—almost meticulous. Yet, they don’t hesitate to litter pretty much anywhere and everywhere else.

trash...it's everywhere!
trash…it’s everywhere!

Lori Gibson Banducci is a Kiva Fellow, working with ASDIR in Nimasac, Totonicapan, Guatemala where she blends in perfectly with the people who live here.

Lori and Kiva Borrowers

Lori and Kiva Borrowers

16 April 2009 at 00:43 11 comments

Life in Nimasac Guatemala

So, warning, this has NOTHING to do with microfinance.

But, here are two videos that give a definite flavor of life here in Nimasac, Guatemala where I have spent the last two months as a Kiva Fellow with ASDIR, Kiva’s field partner in Totonicapan, Guatemala.

K’iche is the predominant language spoken here. Many people have asked me to describe what it sounds like, but I’ve found that to be an impossible task, so here is a short video of animated dinner conversation in K’iche.

The second is a glimpse at what is involved in washing clothes here in Nimasac (it takes a LONG time!)

Lori Gibson Banducci is a Kiva Fellow working with ASDIR, Kiva’s field partner in Totonicapan, Guatemala where she blends in perfectly with the people who live there.

lori blends in

Lori with Kiva Borrowers

13 April 2009 at 10:01 7 comments

Loan Officers: The Unsung Heroes of Microcredit

Long hours, low pay, angry barking dogs, collection calls, long motorcycle rides and even longer walks…………what on earth keeps these loan officers “in the saddle” 8+ hours a day, 6 days a week?  I interviewed two of ASDIR’s (Kiva’s partner bank in Totonicapan, Guatemala)  loan officers to try and find out.

I have to say I have been most impressed by the dedication, care and compassion of the  loan officers at this MFI. I would also bet  that most of Kiva’s 90+  field partners  have similar, committed loan officers—- clearly motivated by a lot more than money!

Interview is in Spanish, with subtitles and, it will soon become clear that I was not selected as a Kiva Fellow on the basis of my video editing (or taking) skills.

Click on this link for more information on ASDIR

7 April 2009 at 14:42 1 comment

Access to Microcredit –the View from Nimasac, Guatemala

not all micro loans are life altering, but maybe micro credit is really more about making incremental changes in the lives and financial stability of the world’s poor.

Continue Reading 1 April 2009 at 01:00 3 comments

hot showers–not so simple

Warning: this post has absolutely nothing to do with microfinace. Just gives you a glimpse into what is involved with taking a hot shower here in Nimasac, Guatemala.

When I was first accepted as a Kiva Fellow,  I was asked if I had any “special” requirements. My response was that I wanted to be relatively safe and be able to take a hot shower.

Taking a hot shower is no simple matter in Guatemala. First of all, most homes do not have running water. (this includes the family that I am living with). So, in that situation, here is how you get to take a hot shower. First, they run a hose from the closest water source (in my case about a block away from the house) and fill this black (20-50?) gallon drum up with water. Then you light a fire underneath the drum and wait until the water gets hot. This big drum is always located above the shower, as it is gravity fed.

hot-shower

Now it gets dicey……because without any cold running water to “mix in” with the hot water, instead of a “hot” shower, you can get a SCALDING HOT shower……..so, it takes some time to figure out exactly how big of a fire to build and how long after the fire has been built is it safe to take a shower…….go too soon and you get scalding hot…….wait too long and it’s tepid at best.

When there is running water, as there is at many hotels, they use this kind of an electrical contraption which is located right there in the shower, right above the shower nozzle. The one pictured here is one of the “safer” versions…..many have electrical wires portruding and a lot of electrical tape wrapped (sometimes loosely) around them. And, when you’re tall like I am and the water splashes on the exposed electrical wires, that too gets a bit “dicey”.

electric-hot-shower1

And, as long as we’re talking about “bathrooms”, I thought I’d share a photo of the outhouse that my host family and I use. (actually, it is quite pleasant, as the view from the crack in the door is of the beautiful countryside surrounding Totonicapan)

outhouse

21 March 2009 at 13:10 3 comments

Illegal Immigration-the view from Nimasac Guatemala

It’s almost impossible to find a family in this little town of Nimasac (in the western highlands of Guatemala) who has not had a son or husband go to the U.S. to find work.

Boys often leave when they are teenagers (16 or so) and take the perilous route to the U.S. through Mexico, by enlisting the services of a “coyote” (immigrant smuggler)—which is a very risky proposition. If they do make it to the U.S. alive, they arrive in large cities (Houston and New York seem to be the favorites here) where they connect with acquaintances or friends who are already there. Many leave wives and young children behind. Many stay for years before they return……..some never come back to Guatemala.

In the U.S. they find work in restaurants, construction, landscaping and, most of them, faithfully send money back to their families in Nimasac twice a month. It is hard to imagine the impact of these bi-monthly “remesas” (remittances) on the families and the local economy. In fact, annual remittances from the U.S. to Guatemala are the second biggest driver in Guatemala’s economy—second only to exports, totaling $ 4.3 billion in 2008  (Sources: MIF, IMF, US Census International DataBase, Latin America Monitor).

You can look around this village and clearly distinguish between the houses that were built with American money and those that were built with Guatemalan money. (see photos below)

Families with sons or husbands in the U.S. can often afford to feed and clothe their families, send their children to school, have cement block homes with running water and maybe even have electricity. It is estimated that 43 percent of Guatemalan households receiving remittances have been lifted out of extreme poverty. (Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)). So, these families are still poor (especially by American standards) but no longer among the poorest of the poor.

Remittances are projected to decline by 8% or more in 2009. In data just released by Banco de Guatemala, remittances for the first two months of 2009 are down 9.6 % compared to 2008.  The impact of the decrease in remittances is profound and widespread and likely to get worse. Construction on many homes has simply “stopped” (putting those who were building the house out of work). Families can no longer afford to buy things, significantly impacting demand across the board, and especially the weaving, sewing and shoemaking cottage industries in Nimasac.

One Kiva borrower I spoke with said she used to have 35 individuals sewing/making parts for her shoes and now she is down to 15, with prospects looming of further declines. (She used her Kiva loan to pay her employees for work produced, but not yet sold due to lack of demand.)  Another Kiva borrower had originally taken out a loan for leather and other shoe making materials, but the market for his product has all but disappeared. So he bought a loom instead—hoping the market for traditional fabrics “cortes” is more dependable. This is a young, industrious, positive young man with a wife and a toddler to provide for. But, demand is down, across the board, in almost every area of the economy here.

On one hand, I understand the associated “hidden” costs of illegal immigration in the U.S. I know that some illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and often times avail themselves of the education and medical care and, with the economic downturn, may be taking jobs from Americans who need the work. I also realize that, since some illegal immigrants are paid under the table and do not pay into Medicare or social security or income tax, we all “pay the price” for their use of our services.

On the other hand, I can also understand the desire of these young men to provide for their families, to improve their lives by immigrating to the U.S. (legally or illegally) where they can find jobs and opportunity. It reminds me of the situation that Jean Valjean finds himself in Les Miserables, when he steals a loaf of bread to feed his daughter.

As with most things, there are definitely several dimensions to this illegal immigration issue. And it is apparent from the Guatemalan side, that many families who had been able to escape extreme poverty are about to be thrust right back into it as remittances from the U.S. continue to decline. And, in the absence of “demand” for products and services, the ability for micro credit to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these people may be compromised.

built with $$$

built with $$$

built with quetzales

built with quetzales

13 March 2009 at 11:19 8 comments

Not Easily Intimidated

The cooperative, yet fiercely independent, spirit of this mostly indigenous community in Guatemala.

Continue Reading 4 March 2009 at 07:34 4 comments

It’s the reasonable repayment plan-stupid!

Many of my friends and family have been shocked, when I explained to them that microcredit loans often carry (what we would consider) usurious/oppressive interest rates. Many of them have asked me how ANYONE could justify interest rates of 30 or 50 or even 100%?

I have tried to explain all the factors that go into how a microfinance bank determines just how much interest it must charge in order to remain a viable business.

I go through the litany of factors contributing to the “high” interest rates—-the fact that it costs as much (or more) to make a $300 loan as it does to make a $10,000 loan; that in order to reach the poorest of the poor, the loan officers must often travel long distances on back roads in order to serve this population(because these borrowers do not usually have transportation to get to the banks); how a microfinance bank must cover its costs if it is to stay in business and continue to provide credit to the poor, that inflation rates must be accounted for in order for the banks to even recoup the original value of the loan. Usually, their eyes glaze over, they remain unconvinced and they find it difficult to get beyond their shock at the absolute level of the interest rates.

So, yesterday, I listened to a loan officer with ASDIR (Kiva’s field partner in Totonicapan, Guatemala) explain to a couple how they would have to repay their 30% interest loan in 12 monthly installments and (this is the key) that with each payment the total amount due on their loan would get lower and lower, until it was paid off.

That is when the differences between credit card debt which most U.S. consumers use to finance purchases and the microcredit consumer loans became crystal clear! It’s not about the absolute interest rates; it is about having reasonable repayment terms, which pay off the loan!

Let’s compare two loans of, say, $1000 —-one done the microfinance way and the other the American credit card way.  The microcredit loan is made at the apparently outrageous rate of 50%, while the credit card loan is at a far more “reasonable” 20%.

___________                                  Microcredit                    American credit card
Loan Amount                                             1000                                       1000
Interest Rate                                               50%                                         20%
Minimum monthly payment              ($107.59)                                ($16.67)
Total Payments in one year              ($1,291.02)                             ($200.00)
Amount owed after 12 months                 0                                        $1,000.00
Total amount paid in 5 years           ($1,291.02)                             ($1,000.00)
Amount owing in 5 years                           0                                        $1,000.00
Interest Payments to Bank                  $291.02                                  $1,000.00

With a microcredit loan, a loan officer evaluates the financial position of the borrower and develops a payment plan that is reasonable. It is a plan that gets them out of debt in a relatively short amount of time. In contrast, in recent years, the credit card way has been to provide people with a credit line, encourage them to make purchases on their card (up to their limit) AND then encourage/allow them to make only the minimum monthly payment. Paying off the card/the loan is NOT encouraged. Better for the banks to keep them paying interest only.

After one year, the borrower with a microcredit loan has paid off her loan and has paid a total of $291.02 in interest. After one year, the American credit card borrower has paid $200 in interest and still owes $1000 on the loan. After 5 years, the American credit card borrower has paid $1000 in interest and still owes the entire $1000. Meanwhile, the microcredit borrower may have taken out and repaid another loan or two, while the credit card borrower is still paying on the original loan!

Ends up the lower rates, but totally open-ended repayment terms are far more onerous for the borrower (and beneficial to the bank in the short term) than a significantly higher interest rate with clear and closed-ended repayment terms.

I don’t know if this will change the minds of some of my doubting friends and family, but, I think it illustrates how banks can charge interest rates high enough to cover their costs and risks, while still benefiting the borrowers who must pay the interest. It is truly a win-win, even if it may not seem like it at first glance.

For more information on microcredit interest rates:  http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.26.2617

23 February 2009 at 06:25 9 comments


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