Womens Microfinance Initiative Corporation

I sit on the board of directors for WMI. I have previously consulted for WMI as a financial services advisor. I am currently a development consultant at the intersection of financial services and social entrepreneurship. Since 2016 when i started consulting, i have not come across a program that is effective, resilient and self perpetuating. Rural women are transforming their lives at their own terms. I have seen first hand what a loan of $50 can do to a rural household. I support the work of WMI in transforming vulnerable households to thriving women-led enterprises 100 fold.

WMI initiatives have empowered the rural women in accessing credit and capacity building .Through this, women have initiated businesses that have created financial independence thus improving living standards within the society. The impacts includes, increase of income, improved decision making, affordable education for children and increased access to healthcare. Long live WMI to impact more vulnerable women.

I worked for WMI from 2015-2016 at the Buyobo, Uganda headquarters. I have worked in international development for nearly a decade, and can say that this experience was the most formative of my career thus far. WMI is a prime example of locally-led, sustainable development work. Every cent invested in this organization pays dividends in improving a woman - and by extension her family's - quality of life. WMI borrowers are able to grow their businesses, eat healthier foods, send their children to school, save for emergencies, and many other crucial aspects of life. If I could give more than 5 stars for this review, I would in a heartbeat!

I have been a donor to WMI for many years. It is such a dynamic organization. It has been evolving and growing over the years, with more projects and loans in different East African villages each year. The best part is that the women learn to run their own businesses, and they then go on to teach other women in turn.

I have been supporting WMI’s work in Tanzania for 10 years and it is remarkable to see the difference it has made to the communities where they work. It is so empowering for the individual borrows and changes the entire communities view of the role women play in the community. It is the best micro finance model out there!

I have been a donor and Advisory Board Member with WMI for over a decade and continue to be impressed with the work of the organization and their partners in East Africa. Their long-standing support to rural communities has made a difference for women and their families who are able to launch and grow businesses with WMI loans and manage local organizations that invest in their communities.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer serving in East Africa, I know first-hand the needs and the logistics of working in rural communities. WMI’s program solves many of these problems by not only teaching local women how to start and run a small business, but by building confidence, and by expanding entrepreneurship, both of which directly improve family wealth, local economics, and the local communities. With an all-volunteer Board and all dollars going to East Africa communities, WMI is a hell of a bang for the buck! As a donor you couldn’t ask for more!

WMI has been empowering women in East Africa for about 15 years. Its loan program, which provides small loans to rural women to start and run businesses is unique and very successful. Moreover, the organization trains the ladies in finance and administration so that they are able to run the program themselves. As a longtime donor, I'm happy to say that the organization has done wonders to raise living standards for rural women who otherwise would have no access to the capital needed to have a business.

We the women in the North rift of Kenya are most grateful to WMI for the good work they are doing for us. We now have hope of starting and growing our small businesses as rural women.

Not only does WMI provide amazing opportunities for women in East Africa through their microfinance initiatives, but they also support other grassroots initiatives that build financial independence in women and girls. As such, WMI has been providing funding for Rukundo International's Girl's Empowerment Program for the last seven years. Because of their support, more than 1,500 adolescent girls in Uganda have learned basic financial literacy, life skills, and how to avoid HIV, STD's and early marriage. Robyn Nietert, the Founder, and the other Board members are incredible to work with and truly have a passion for changing lives. We have continually been amazed at the repayment rate on the micro loans, the training that they provide to the women, and the sustainability of the project.

Well done, WMI! I am so impressed by your bang for the buck!

I love being a part of an organization that has made such a difference in the lives of East African women. Not only do we see improved economic status, WMI borrowers are using their newly learned good business practices and leadership skills. Amazing what has been accomplished in 15 years!

It is a wonderful program for the women in Uganda giving them some freedom from the male dominance. Also, it has been a great opportunity for my daughter to thing through the needs and wants of a society that lives in the poverty level. It has given her an appreciation that not everyone has what we do. This has encouraged her to get involved in projects similar to this. Although this is not a direct reflection on WMI, it is telling of the influence it has had on some children trying to help the cause.

I am a volunteer for WMI and help organize the book drives that are helping create a lending library in a small village in Uganda and other villages in that region. Having two children of my own and seeing the impact reading can have on the growth and development of children has spurred me on to help make that happen in impoverished regions of the world where they don't have access to libraries such as we have here. I have watched WMI grow over the past 3-4 years and have been amazed at the impact one organization can have in transforming the lives of women and families.

(Volunteer and donor) Women's Microfinance Initiative has, in very few years, taken a successful plan and expanded it carefully and wisely. There is great enthusiasm among the volunteers and workers. They have done a great job collecting knowledgeable people (from a broad spectrum of professions) on their active board. Their overhead is quite small. But most relevant: they are doing important work!

I support WMI because it uses my money effectively to empower women in East Africa. WMI is an all volunteer organization; therefore its administrative costs are almost non-existent. WMI's program has rethought microfinance and how it should be delivered to women borrowers and through its loans, it has raised the standard of living over 500% for thousands of women and their families. I know of no more effective 501(c)(3) measured in terms of the results achieved with its funding. WMI truly is eradicating poverty one loan at a time.

Amazingly successful at empowering women in the most fundamental of ways-- how to start and grow businesses so they can be financially independent. A true grass roots endeavor, that has had profound impact on individual women, their families and their villages.

WMI was founded to assist Ugandan women by providing microloans to help them start or expand businesses. With initial loans, we have seen that businesswomen focus on improving their businesses, standards of living, and educational oportunities for their children. But once the ladies have training in bookkeeping and business operations, and have improved things for their families, we see the women turn their attention to improving the community. WMI has connected the businesswomen with other women, and connected them with resources to improve the life of the community. WMI is flexible and responsive to the local women, and equips them to make decisions that will affect the quality of their lives and grow the local economy. It's a great model, and a great use of resources -- both dollars and the human capital that is built.

WMI provides small loans that bring big changes to inpoverished women living in rural Uganda and Kenya. In just over 2 years it has expanded from 20 loans to over 1,000 loans and established a $175,000 revolving loan fund. It has developed a unique economic model that takes impoverished women from their first loans to totally independent banking in 36 months in a framwork that is self-sustaining once the loan cycle is funded. It reuses loan funds repaid by graduationg borrowers to fund new loans to first time borrowers. It provides training and support services. Working at the bottom of the financial pyramid, WMI provides impoverished women with an on-ramp to their countries' formal economy.

I have been very impressed with this organization since its inception. It is a grass roots organization started and managed by neighborhood women. Each person on the Board brings a unique skill set in support of the program. It is well organized and truly a non-profit as no one receives a salary of any kind; they are all volunteers helping to make a difference in the lives of the women in Uganda. This program is successful based on the fact that over 1000 loans have been made in the last 2-1/2 years, the women in Uganda have a 100% repayment rate, and the program is now expanding into Kenya. Another unique aspect of this program is that after 2 years with WMI, there is now a program in place for the borrowers to transition into the independent banking system to increase their loans to further expand their businesses which allows them to take better care of themselves and their families.

There are so many positive attributes to this initiative, it's difficult to know where to begin. All the donations go directly into the loans. There are no U.S. staff salaries. Robyn Nietert, founder and president, devotes fulltime to the program and guides the work of other volunteers and interns. She travels to East Africa to assess progress and inspire local participants. The program has made a difference in the lives of a growing number of women and their families in East Africa and is a model that should be replicated in many other areas.

WMI has grown quickly in the past two years mainly because of very dedicated volunteers in the US and very enthusiastic borrowers in Uganda. WMI has made an effort to work with borrowers to figure out the best way to meet their credit needs. With loans, borrowers have been able to start and expand businesses, which have given them a more regular income. With extra income they have sent more children to school, improved their homes, and purchased better health care. Loans are making a difference for these women in Uganda, and WMI is working hard to continue to support them.

This is a very innovative program that really helps to end the cycle of poverty in the communities served. The programs grow at a rate that is sustainable and repeatable. The program has grown in new directions because it is run by the people being served. As the program grows more people are helped and as more people are helped, more people can be served. This is truly a very sustainable model that does not seek to replace the existing financial markets that already exist; rather this model seeks to build a bridge to the existing financial marketplace for the people who never were allowed access.

It is an amazing organization that really makes a difference and is growing a rapid rate. I have volunteered for WMI since mid 2008 and the loan program and other WMI initiatives that have been introduced into the community all have been well received. This year, WMI worked with a local bank in Uganda by sharing the borrower's success stories, describing how the local businesses are thriving in their community and convincing the banks that the borrowers are desireable clients. Through these efforts, in 2010 WMI setup a program where WMI borrowers are eligible to take out a loan from this local bank after 24 months of receiving loans from WMI.

I feel so good making a contribution to WMI because I am 100% confident that the money I give will go directly into the hands of the women who need it--and not for overhead or administrative costs. WMI works because it is a women to women program that helps from the bottom up, and tangibly has impacted the lives of not only the women to whom it's made loans, but to their families, their communities and their country. I'm honored to be able to help such a positive program change the lives of others for the better--not just in word, but in deed.

I was first enlisted to help WMI prepare reusable bags as graduation gifts for the loan recipients. However, my interaction with WMI has far surpassed that throughout the past couple years. I have seen WMI grow from micro-finance loans to other projects involving book donations for the library and computers for an internet cafe. It not only empowers women in Uganda and Kenya, but also allows women within the non-profit to exercise their talents as well. In addition, WMI focuses on a local and personal approach--they have direct contact with loan recipients and the people benefitting from the library and computers. In this way, WMI is truly assessing the needs of the people they help, and ensuring that everything operates smoothly. WMI has been growing steadily since it was founded, and helps more women receive loans every year. WMI is unique and innovative in assisting women empower themselves in the most direct and personal manner possible, and for that it is an amazing organization.

I have watched this organization grow since its beginning in January of 2008. When we handed out the first loans to the first group of 20 women we could not have anticipated on the impact these loans would have on their lives. These loans have enabled these women to start thriving businesses. These businesses in turn, have allowed these women to send their children to school, buy adequate food for their families, and expand their businesses. Also, this program is extremely well run. The president of WMI, Robyn Nietert, has made running WMI her full time job. In addition, she has a board of women who all have different skill sets. They work together to ensure that the program runs smoothly, and is able to continue to expand. They also always have creative, and innovative ideas about how to make the program more effective, and reach more people. Off shoot projects such as an internet cafe, a library, and bringing solar stoves to the village, are all ideas that have been implemented in the village. These types of off shoot projects have helped the women expend their businesses, live healthier lives, and promote education in the village. Finally, and I think most importantly, Mrs. Nietert is fully committed to this project, and deeply cares about the people she is helping.

Inspiring. The women who run the organization on an entirely volunteer basis lead with dedication and passion, generate enthusiasm among others, and have made great progress in a VERY short time. Being a part of this community has helped me to realize MY desire to empower women in Africa in ways that just donating money cannot.

Women's Microfinance Initiative has made small loans to over 1000 women in rural villages in Uganda and Kenya, allowing the women to start their own businesses to support their families. WMI has also helped to build a community center in Byobo which houses a meeting room, a library and a computer center. One of WMI's greatest features is its goal to help the women graduate from microfinance loans to a banking relationship with a local financial institution.