Partnerships with Microfinance Institutions

Habitat increases its impact by expanding work in housing finance, advocacy and partnerships with microfinance institutions.

Current MFI partnerships

• Acción International—For joint research and pilot projects focused on scaling housing microfinance in Latin America and Caribbean.
• Grameen affiliates—Includes Haiti’s largest MFI, Fonkoze, and CEP, the largest MFI in Vietnam.
• Opportunity International—In partnership with their local affiliate in Macedonia and the Philippines, and through a joint project aimed at AIDS orphans in three African countries.
• FINCA—Colombia with emerging partnerships in Afghanistan and Uganda.
• World Relief—With URWEGO, the largest MFI in Rwanda, and CREDIT in Cambodia.
• World Vision—Through their local Vision Finance affiliates in Mongolia and Peru).

Other Habitat organizations in Thailand, Brazil, the Philippines, Vietnam, Chile, Costa Rica and South Africa are partnering with government housing agencies to target subsidies and construction technical assistance toward low-income housing solutions.

Habitat is a member of the SEEP Network and in addition to direct programmatic collaboration seeks to influence the microfinance industry so that housing becomes a standard loan product among MFIs, occupying a significant share of microfinance portfolios. To this end, Habitat will document research and case studies, disseminate best practices and stimulate investment in housing finance for the poor.