Social Issue

The population of Bolivia is made up of 62% of indigenous communities, which represents around 7 million people. Part of this indigenous population still lives in rural areas poorly communicated with the rest of the country. There is still a social conflict that excludes them from the current system, which includes the lack of adequate means of transport, very limited access to healthcare, and the lack of regular income. Often these communities have to move to urban areas to find work. Other times, they generate their income through illegal activities such as deforestation.

Our Response

Diaconía – Revolving Fund for Investments and Development was created in 1997 out of a collaboration between the Bolivian government and the Norwegian Mission Alliance (NMA), a Norwegian NGO. In 2016, it obtained the license as a Development Finance Institution (DFI) and is in the process of obtaining a banking license in the coming years. This approval will allow them more flexibility and expansion possibilities in the future. Diaconía has 58 branches, most of them in rural and peri-urban areas, and carries out more than half of its activity in the El Alto area, one of the poorest in Bolivia.

Expected Social Impact

With this investment of the Netri Foundation, it is estimated that Diaconía will be able to provide 270 microloans in the country, with the idea of empowering the Bolivian population in generating employment in the El Alto area.