Community finance-often considered part of microfinance-is of particular relevance for the communities living in or in the proximity of protected areas, including indigenous communities. Financial providers have a stated mission to deliver financial solutions for people in a defined community. Lending practices include community revolving funds and credit unions. The community itself is often the main shareholder of those institutions and can be the sole source of capital such as in village savings and loans.
Microsfere is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the livelihoods of rural people living around areas that are protected for their ecological value in developing countries, and notably in West Africa. Their first two projects are in Ghana, in the Kakum National Park and the Amansuri Wetland. One of the principle measures implemented by Microsfere is Social Microfinance.
Read more about Microsfere here.
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