People Helping People Global

Our mission is to provide individuals with the tools necessary to help themselves and their communities escape extreme poverty. We do this by offering our clients interest-free microloans, training, and exposure to new markets.

Microlending is the largest and most successful program that People Helping People Global operates. Our unique method of offering interest-free loans is what separates PHPG from most other lending groups. The process is rather simple, and the results have been incredibly positive. We start by communicating with other nonprofits and community members to determine the areas that could benefit the most from our microlending program. After we do this, we hold meetings in the area to get a feel for the community and to educate community members about the microlending process. After we hold these informational meetings, individuals are invited to submit an initial request for loan (ranging from $50 to $400), along with a simple business plan. We then conduct interviews to evaluate need, business acumen, and character. If selected, the individuals are organized into groups of five to twenty individuals. Each individual is only responsible for her own microloan, but the group/community aspect is very important to the success of our programs. In addition to encouraging community discourse, the group mentality encourages individuals to repay their loans on time and in full, so that other members may have the same opportunity to develop business and build their community. Our loan recipients have between six and eighteen months to repay their loans. Some of our loan recipients repay monthly, while others repay weekly. It is up to the lending group to determine the repayment schedule. As the loans are repaid, more loan groups are created in the same area and the poverty reducing cycle continues. Microlending is so effective for several reasons. One reason is that individuals realize that these loans are not hand-outs. Our microloan recipients often express great pride as they repay their loans. They talk about how the system makes them feel much better than those that just give them things, such as houses or clothing. The other major reason it's so effective is that the capital stays in the community. Once the first group of recipients repay their loans, their neighbors get the same opportunity to help their families and build the community they live in.