Why Ghana?

There were many key factors that influenced our decision to work in Ghana:

1. The need: We wanted to reach those people who were severely neglected by current programs designed for the world's poor. In researching microfinance around the world, we found that the MIX Market estimated that only approximately 1% of the microfinance industry reached Africa. This provided us with a clear vision of who we wanted to serve.

2. The area: In a country with 6.9 million people living in extreme poverty, there are only approximately 233,000 people currently receiving loans from microfinance programs. And as we looked further, we found that a huge number of the institutions were in urban areas (80%), leaving a tremendous need for credit in the rural areas. Our services are aimed at helping the rural communities who also live in poverty but have no access to the loans and programs they need to rise out of poverty.

3. The government: Ghana was the first country in Africa to gain its independence and has since become a model for African democracy and peaceful transfers of power after elections. The Ghanaian government has been great in the past cooperating with NGO's to create programs to help their people. Ghana has stood out because of its growing economy and stable government; conditions were right for small enterprises to flourish. Here is a link to more information about Ghana from the CIA World Factbook

4. The people: The villages we operate in are filled with entrepreneurs, highly motivated and skilled farmers, craftsmen, and fishermen who only need credit and mentorship to grow their businesses. Our founder, Sammie Rayner, had already developed relationships with Chief Samuel Adjorlolo and other community leaders in the village of Atorkor during her trip to Ghana in 2008. Sammie's initial pilot program and research on the ground provided the team with a needed perspective that helped shape where the program is today.