Social Issue

Rwanda has made enormous progress toward reducing poverty over the last decades, and it has also achieved substantial gains in educational attainment, health services delivery, and access to basic services. Despite this, it is still defined as a low income country with a Human Development Index ranking  at 161 out of 193 countries (2023). With a substantial portion of its people relying on the informal sector as a means to generate income, microfinance loans can be an important tool for the establishment, growth, and expansion of micro and small businesses, resulting in asset creation, job creation, poverty reduction, and an improved standard of living.

Our Response

Netri has extended a loan to ASA Rwanda, a deposit taking microfinance institution, providing small, socially responsible loans for income-generating purposes to low-income, predominantly female entrepreneurs.  ASA Rwanda operates a cost-efficient, standardized and sustainable model, which is used across all ASA Microfinance operations across the globe, but adjusted for local economic and cultural circumstances. Their lending approach is based on individual lending via client groups to support women entrepreneurs. 

Netri has provided a  local currency loan to reduce the operational risk of the institution having to take on a dollar loan.

Expected Social Impact

In terms of Netri’s attribution, with this loan, it is estimated that ASA Rwanda will be able to provide more than 6,600 micro loans to low-income women with the aim of increasing their income and improving their well-being and that of their families.