Grameen Foundation : Where we work : Latin America / Caribbean : Region highlights
Latin America Region Highlights
Despite having a history dating to the early 1970s, microfinance in Latin America has limited outreach; it is mainly concentrated in urban areas in Central America and Andean South America. Outreach is lowest in the region’s largest economies—Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela—which have some of the largest numbers of poor. Overall, region-wide only three percent of the estimated demand for microfinance is being satisfied. Penetration in the region ranges from less than one percent in Venezuela to approximately 28 percent in Bolivia, where Grameen Foundation’s largest partner in the region, ProMujer, is a market leader.
Regional Data: Fast Facts
- As of 2003, the population of the Latin American and Caribbean region was 527 million.
- An estimated 57 million people live on less than $1 a day.
- Haiti has the highest percentage of people living on less than $1 per day (56 percent), followed by Nicaragua (45 percent), and El Salvador (31 percent).
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Grameen Foundation : Where we work : Latin America / Caribbean : Region highlights
Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.
+1-202-628-3560 www.grameenfoundation.org
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