Bringing microfinance to rural areas in Mali to improve women's lives

A micro-credit scheme for rural areas in Mali has been decisive in making a real impact on women. Local banks, NGOs and public institutions worked closely to ensure that women could access loans, join associations and have their voices be heard in collective decision-making processes. It also allowed these women and their communities to make collective investments that would increase their production, stabilize and diversify their nutrition, and ultimately achieve a better life.

The IFAD-funded initiative is supported by the Governments of Mali, Canada and Denmark, and receives technical assistance from FAO’s Investment Centre. It benefitted more than half a million rural poor Malians, among them 105,000 women. Today, they are some of the microfinance institutions’ most solvent clients.

08/03/2022