The Grameen - Jameel is an innovative partnership between Grameen Foundation (GF) and the Abdul Latif Jameel Group that was launched in 2003 in order to strengthen the microfinance industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).  It is estimated that a mere 7-14% of the region’s potential microfinance market of 7 – 14 million borrowers are served by microfinance, indicating the great need for expanded outreach to the poor who do not have access to financial services. With 75 million people in the region living on less than US $2 a day, microfinance is not only important, but life-saving.

 

VISION

The vision of the Initiative is to increase the capacity of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the region through financial support, technical assistance, training, and access to translated resources on best practice microfinance. This assistance will enable MFIs in the region to increase the breadth and depth of their outreach, as well as improve their financial and operational sustainability in order to better serve their clients on a long-term basis.

 

VALUES

The Initiative believes in promoting best practice microfinance in the region provides support to MFIs that share its values:

GOAL

The Initiative has embarked on a bold undertaking to combat poverty in the Middle East and North Africa by helping MFIs in the region to collectively reach one million new borrowers by 2011.