Rural Community Finance Project

The overall development goal of the project is to reduce rural poverty and household food insecurity on a sustainable basis by facilitating access to finance for at least 24,000 rural individuals and their families. The project’s development objective is to improve access to rural financial services on a sustainable basis, enabling the development of the rural sector.

The project will facilitate the creation of new rural community finance institutions (RCFIs) in selected areas throughout the country. RCFI locations will be identified through feasibility studies and criteria including the degree of commitment by host communities, absence of banking facilities and viability.

The primary target group will be the economically active rural population: petty traders, smallholder farmers, food processors, local transporters, craftsmen, artisans and ex-combatants. Special attention will be given to reaching women and youth, and small-scale entrepreneurs, especially women.