Espoir 19
Espoir gives women in Ecuador access to credit through group loans. With their small businesses, they earn extra income, helping their families gradually gain more financial security. Your investment contributes to equal opportunities for women.
The project
Fundación Espoir is a microfinance institution in Ecuador that supports families with credit and training. 70% of its loans go to women. Women are also strongly represented within the organization, both among staff and in management.
One of the women who received a loan is Roseys from Manabí. She lived with her family in a simple house made of reed. Without a stable income, it was difficult to cover the cost of living. With a group loan, she started selling office supplies and household items from home. This gave her an income and enabled her to save. Partly as a result, she built a stronger house.
Espoir works with group loans in which women borrow together. Each member is responsible for her own loan, while the group guarantees each other. This makes credit accessible without collateral. The women meet regularly to make repayments, attend training sessions, and support one another. This system promotes solidarity and leads to high repayment rates.
By investing in Espoir, you enable women like Roseys to build greater independence and financial stability. In this way, you contribute to equal opportunities for women and sustainable development in Ecuador.
Your investment
- Annual interest rate: 8%
- With an investment of €1,000, the expected total repayment is approximately €1,070
- Maturity: 18 months
- Repayments: quarterly. You will receive a repayment, including interest, every 3 months. Meaning there will be 6 repayments in total.
- Currency: dollar. Please note that although you invest in euros, the loan is in dollars, so there is a risk of exchange rate fluctuations between dollars and euros. Visit our page on exchange rate risks for more information.
Espoir
Impact
In Ecuador, where Espoir operates, access to financing is a lifeline, especially in rural areas, where poverty affects nearly half the population and extreme poverty is alarmingly high. While financial hardship exists nationwide, rural entrepreneurs face even greater barriers to securing capital. Women, who make up the majority of Espoir’s borrowers, often have the hardest time accessing resources to grow their businesses. That’s why Espoir goes beyond microcredit, combining financial support with business education and health services across six provinces. By equipping low-income entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed, Espoir fosters long-term economic resilience and stronger communities.
- Percentage of female borrowers: 72%
- 94% of Espoir's borrowers say their quality of life improved in at least one way. Source: Survey conducted by 60dB.
Related blog posts
Discover more - Log in or create an account
To protect our partners, certain information is only available when you are logged in. Log in, or create a free account if you are new to Lendahand!