Espoir 21
Meet Lastenia. She received a loan from Espoir, a microfinance institution in Ecuador that mainly provides financing to women entrepreneurs. Your investment contributes to opportunities for women like Lastenia.
The project
Lastenia lives in Jipijapa, Ecuador. She sells jewellery through a catalogue. Thanks to a loan from Fundación Espoir, she was able to expand her activities. She used part of her income to improve her living conditions.
Espoir mainly supports women entrepreneurs: more than 70% of its clients are women. Through group loans, the organisation makes financing more accessible. With these loans, women borrow together: each member is responsible for her own loan, while the group as a whole acts as guarantor. This gives women without collateral access to financing.
Espoir also provides education and training where needed. In this way, the organisation supports women not only with financing, but also with the further development of their businesses.
Will you support women’s entrepreneurship in Ecuador?
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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