Our Partners
LEBANON
Lebanon, with 4.1 million inhabitants, has traditionally been an important commercial hub in the region. The United Nations estimates that a third of Lebanon`s people are considered poor including near 10% of the population living with less than US$ 2 a day. The majority of the poor live in the suburbs of the capital and other cities while majority of the destitute poor, who make up one fourth of the population, live in the rural areas. Human Development Index gives the country a rank of 83rd out of 182 countries in 2009.
Estimated market potential for microfinance is about 320,000 potential clients, of which approximately 22% are currently served by the sector.
Lebanese Association for Development (Al Majmoua): Al Majmoua began as a spin-off from Save the Children, financed by a grant from USAID in 1998. The Association is registered with Lebanon’s Ministry of the Interior as a “non-political and non-profit-making association”. Al Majmoua is a leading provider of microfinance in the country, with field offices distributed throughout the country, including Palestinian refugee camps.
Al Majmoua has a loan portfolio of over US $17.1 million, with 22,362 active clients as of September 2010. Al Majmoua is a leading provider of microfinance in the country. In 2010, Al Majmoua received a B+/Positive Outlook and was rated “4-”for its Social Performance by Planet Rating.
Grameen-Jameel has been a partner with Al Majmoua since 2007 providing financial and technical assistance, including training. In 2009 and 2010, Grameen-Jameel supported Al-Majmoua’s implementation of the Mifos open-source technology platform, which included the development of an IT Strategy, business process re-engineering, and project management training.
For further information on Al Majmoua, please refer to their website: www.almajmoua.org