Project objectives
Promoting financial inclusion in the region in Central America and the Dominican Republic

Project Manager

Partners
REDCAMIF and the 7 members of the national networks:
- ASOMIF (Nicaragua)
- ASOMI (El Salvador)
- REDIMIF (Guatemala)
- REDMICROH (Honduras)
- REDOMIF (Dominican Republic) 
- REDCOM (Costa Rica)
- REDPAMIF (Panama)

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with REDCAMIF

Accelerating financial inclusion in Central America and Dominican Republic

ADA supports the expansion of inclusive finance products and services in Central America and the Dominican Republic through a technical and financial support programme to the REDCAMIF regional network.

REDCAMIF, historical partner of ADA

REDCAMIF PROJECT 2012-2017: THE BALANCE

Objective: promoting financial inclusion in the region

Set up between August 2012 and December 2017 with a budget of 6.4 million euros, the ADA-REDCAMIF project aimed to promote financial inclusion in Central America and the Dominican Republic:

1. providing MFIs with ongoing access to financing to expand the provision of inclusive and sustainable financial services in the region;
2. strengthening the risk management capacity, corporate governance, social performance management and sustainability of the 7 national networks and the regional REDCAMIF network.

Partners

The project was managed by REDCAMIF, with local support from ADA and contributions from the 7 national networks: REDIMIF, REDMICROH, REDOMIF, ASOMIF, ASOMI, REDCOM et REDPAMIF.

José Luis González Renderos, Former President of REDCAMIF:
"The framework agreement signed with ADA allows REDCAMIF to develop innovative solutions and disseminate these new products through the networks of each country. In this context, ADA is a key strategic partner to efficiently develop the network.​"

Implementation of the project

To achieve this objective, the ADA-REDCAMIF project to expand inclusive finance was based on three fundamental pillars:

1. Capacity building
2. Knowledge Management
3. Development of inclusive financial products and services in partnership with MFIs

1. Capacity building

At network level
The 7 national REDCAMIF networks were supported to implement a relevant income-generating project for member MFIs, which would contribute to their financial viability. Currently, 5 of these projects continue to be implemented and generate revenues.

At the MFI level
The MFI members of these 7 national networks were supported, in order to make them more autonomous and efficient in their financing process for micro and small enterprises and small farmers. This reinforcement took place at two levels:

1. Strengthening risk management and governance, through the provision of technical assistance, training and coaching services;
2. Strengthening transparency and social performance through evaluations, training and data dissemination.

Based on a participatory approach, the project also aimed to improve knowledge exchange between the different actors and members of the REDCAMIF network by using information technologies.

Training: In 2017, risk management training was organized in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua and governance training was also provided in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Technical assistance: In 2017, 6 MFIs received technical assistance, enabling them to integrate social performance management systems into their strategies.

In total over the five and a half years of the project: 143 technical assistance contracts for 98 MFIs.

2. Knowledge Management

In addition to supporting pilot projects, knowledge was disseminated through meetings organized with national networks to share project implementation experiences, as well as with member MFIs on risk management, coaching and leadership, internal control, rural finance, green credit and climate change issues. These meetings also enabled the experiences gained during the project to be capitalised on.

In addition, a process of capitalisation of experiences was conducted through information exchange meetings with MFIs on different topics.

In this regard, ADA and REDCAMIF organized a workshop in April 2017 to capitalize on experiences in rural finance and housing in Panama, in which MFIs from the pilot project to develop new products in rural finance and housing participated. This workshop aimed to systematize the experience gained during the implementation of the pilot projects.

More information about the workshop

3. Development of inclusive financial products and services (IFS)

In 2014, an initial diagnosis of the needs of the clients of the MFI members of the national networks made it possible to highlight needs in terms of rural financing and housing. ADA and REDCAMIF then carried out market and feasibility studies to design products to meet the needs in these two areas: savings, leasing, insurance, loans extended to areas such as green energy...

In 2015, following this diagnosis, the project supported initially 25 MFIs to develop adapted financial services. Then, following the good progress of the project, 32 MFIs were finally supported.


Rural financing
4 rural financing products were proposed by 15 MFIs: green credit, credit to improve energy efficiency, credit for women entrepreneurs
and micro-leasing.
These are: SHARE, AMC, ODEF, PILARH, PROMUJER, FUNDENUSE, FIDERPAC, FUDECOSUR, PROCAJ, Banco ADOPEM, COOPADEPE, FUDEMi, EDESA, FOMENTA and COOPASPIRE.

Through the 15 MFIs, a total of 2,794 clients benefitted from these products according to their needs and USD 2,8 million were disbursed in credits.

Housing
5 products to fund housing-related products were proposed by 17 MFIs: housing improvement credit comprising two options (gradual improvement of housing or its comprehensive improvement), water sanitation, home purchase, purchase and legalisation of land ownership and house construction.
These are: ASDIR, PADECOMSM, HABITAT-ES, WRH, CREDISOL, PANA-PANA, CONFIANSA, FUNDECOCA, FUNDACION MUJER, BANCO DELTA, COOPERATIVA JUAN XXIII, BANCO ADEMI, ECLOF, VISION FUND REPUBLICA DOMINICANA, FUNDACION HORIZONTES DE AMISTAD and FAPE.

Through the 17 MFIs, a total of 5,538 clients benefitted from these products according to their needs and USD 14,1 million were disbursed in credits.

The housing improvement credit proved to be very popular!Of the five products made available by the 17 MFIs, housing improvement credit was chosen by 92% of the clients. The advantage of this product is that it offers two options:

• comprehensive improvement, which is aimed at clients who have a high payment capacity enabling them to use a single credit to renew their home entirely;
• gradual improvement, a solution which entails less risk, since it enables clients who have a more limited payment capacity to invest occasionally in small-scale renovations, thereby protecting them from a possible over-indebtedness.

Case studies

Of the 32 MFIs that participated in the pilot project to implement inclusive financial products and services in rural finance and housing, the pilot projects of 6 MFIs were published (5 for rural finance and 1 for housing). These case studies are a kind of "best practice" and should serve as a model if the project is replicated in another MFI.
 
Rural financing

• FUNDENUSE (ASOMIF – Nicaragua): Credit for women linked to green energies
• PILARH-OPDF (REDMICROH - Honduras): Inclusive Rural Finance Project in the Lenca Corredor of Honduras
• PROCAJA (REDPAMIF - Panama): Green line
• COOPADEPE (REDOMIF – Dominican Republic): Inclusive rural financing
• ADOPEM (REDOMIF – Dominican Republic): Promoting green credits as a strategy for financial inclusion in rural areas of the Dominican Republic

Housing

• FUNDECOCA (REDCOM – Costa Rica): Inclusive Social Housing in the Northern Huetar Region of Costa Rica

​

Implementation of the REDCAMIF II project from 2018

The REDCAMIF II project, signed in December 2017 between the Central American and Caribbean Microfinance Network (REDCAMIF) and ADA, is an extension of the REDCAMIF - ADA alliance created in 2008 and strengthened since then by the implementation of a multi-year project between 2012 and 2017. 
Following an evaluation diagnosis, this new project will focus on identifying the needs of MFI clients, such as building their capacity and improving their access to responsible financial and non-financial services. The goal is also to create an impact in the microfinance sector in general, while involving other stakeholders to strengthen the skills of the regional network and national networks and effectively respond to the demands of their members.

The total amount of the project is € 4.3 million, 50% co-financed by both parties (ADA and REDCAMIF), over the period 2018-2021. ADA and REDCAMIF hope to provide 93 technical assistance training to MFIs in the region over these next four years.

This new project will focus on the following themes: social role, technology, development of high value added financial services, risk management and knowledge management at regional and national level.

At the top: Gilles Franck (Vice-President of ADA) ; Fernando Guzman (member of the Board of REDCAMIF) ; Iván Gutiérrez (Exécutive Director of REDCAMIF).
At the bottom: Olivier Massart (Former Executive Director of ADA) ; Carlos Rojas (President of REDCAMIF)