Your donation for a non-interest microloan to a family in Pignon is deposited in interest-free loan fund at Top Plus.  In addition to receiving the interest free financing, each recipient of a loan participates in training related to business planning and other financial counselling.

Community for Humanity encourages donors to the Non-Interest Microloan program in Pignon, Haiti to develop an on-going connection and friendship with the family being assisted. Each donor will receive a packet of information about the family and the business being supported, and a periodic update on the development of the business.

 

Non-interest agricultural loans for farmers

Top Plus extends non-interest loans to farmers to help provide the seed and other inputs needed at planting time.  With a $450 loan, a farmer can afford the seed and fertilizers necessary to plant vegetable crops including carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, okra, greens, and green beans.  Such crops have a ready market in Pignon, and typically allow a net return of $300 per harvest, three times per year.  In the absence of access to no-interest credit, most farmers are only able to afford a planting of corn for about $200, and which has a much lower net return at harvest.

Agricultural microloans are typically extended for the time period until harvest, at which point they are repaid and re-loaned to the same farmer for the period of the next harvest, where needed.

 

 

Non-interest loans for family based businesses (non-agricultural)

Initial interest-free microloans for startup businesses are generally around $200.  These loans typically go to women who are supporting children, and are used for business start ups such as retail stores (household products, food, arts and crafts, refurbished used clothing, cosmetics, and shoes), and food processing.

In the area of microloans for family-based non-agricultureal businesses, we help establish relationships between donors and families (most often women with children) needing credit to start and operate small businesses.  These loans are repaid into a Fund for Humanity, managed locally by the Top Plus organization, and this Fund is distributed out for new non-interest microloans to other families.  Small business (non-agricultural) loans are typically extended with a 6 month repayment plan.