Espoir 20
Fundación Espoir is a microfinance institution in Ecuador that primarily supports female entrepreneurs through loans and training. Will you invest in equal opportunities for women in Ecuador?
The project
Fundación Espoir is committed to promoting female entrepreneurship: 70% of the microfinance institution’s loans go to women. The institution mainly supports low-income women, enabling them to start or continue running a small business.
Espoir works with group loans, through which women borrow together. Each member is responsible for her own loan, while the group guarantees one another’s repayments. This makes credit accessible without the need for collateral. The women meet regularly to make repayments, attend training sessions and support one another. This system fosters mutual solidarity and contributes to high repayment rates.
Will you give women in Ecuador the opportunity to work together towards a stable income?
Your investment
- Annual interest rate: 7%
- With an investment of €1,000, the expected total repayment is approximately €1,070
- Maturity: 18 months
- Repayments: Every 6 months. You will receive a repayment, including interest, every 6 months. Meaning there will be 3 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.
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