Project - Micro-Credit

Giving local people the tools to grow their own business is the first step in creating viable sustainable communities – the next step is giving them the access to make that business thrive. We organise micro-credit programs that allow individuals living around vital ecosystems – especially women – to obtain capital for small business ventures by pooling their own money seeded by JGI funds.

“The best example is a woman called Gertruda. She got a small loan and developed tree nurseries around the village. Then she sold seedlings for a very small amount of money, but she was able to pay back her loan.” – Dr. Jane Goodall

Microfinance allows community members to pursue their dreams and combats the poverty which is such a large contributing factor as to why other modes of conservation, with less community partnership and investment, fail. Additionally, around 85 percent of the loans are paid back in full.

When people are able to care for themselves and their families through responsible economic management, issues across a spectrum improve including education, quality of life, and a reduction in family size. Simultaneously, the positive outcomes for wildlife are massive, as reliance on methods of agriculture and resources from these habitats are diminished, they are able to restore their populations and flourish.