Help create sustainable
education & development
in rural Uganda

Microloan Credit Union

The CHIFCOD projects, supported by VolunteerUganda, aim to do far more than support people in need - they are transforming a community.

Starting with a simple primary school, the projects now include more primary schools and a college, supported by health, youth and water projects.

But helping the people of rural Uganda gain an education is not an end in itself, it is a step towards building a thriving local economy.

For many graduates of the schools and college, there are no ready-made jobs, but there are opportunities to build new enterprises - perhaps starting a nursery school, exporting coffee or buying a vehicle to take tourists on gorilla trecks in the local Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Each of these enterprises requires start-up capital to get going, perhaps a few dollars to buy seeds or perhaps thousands to purchase a respectable vehicle. This is where the Microloan Credit Union is required to complete the CHIFCOD vision. A local bank for local people to borrow often small amounts of money and learn the discipline of repayment so that they can borrow again next time.

The success of microloans in helping energetic rural people build their local economies is now well recognised round the world, perhaps most famously by the awarding of a Nobel Prize to Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker and economist, who has promoted successful schemes worldwide.

In time, the Credit Union will become self-financing from loan repayments with interest. While it is growing fast, it can benefit hugely from substantial start-up funding. If you would be interested in making a donation, please contact editor.

CHIFCOD Credit Union Fiance Office