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WMI believes that increasing financial inclusion and teaching financial literacy empowers poor women to take control of their livelihoods and their lives.

WMI's mission is to establish village-level loan hubs, administered by and for local women, to provide capital, training and support services to rural women in the lowest income brackets in East Africa so that they can engage in income producing activities and use their business profits to improve household living conditions for themselves and their families.

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Donate to the WMI Cause

Charity Navigator - 96 out of 100 GuideStar Exchange - Platinum Participant Global Giving Top Ranked 2022

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Your donation will give an impoverished woman in rural East Africa the opportunity to start her own business. With the revenues generated from her micro-enterprise, she will be able to raise the standard of living for her entire family and help make their future more secure.

Global Giving Top Ranked 2022 GuideStar Exchange - Platinum Participant Charity Navigator - 96 out of 100
WMI Program Essentials

Solid Track Record of Performance

Solid Track Record of Performance

Over a decade of operating history with a 98% repayment rate. More than 96,000 loans issued, totaling over $12 million.

Successful Operating Plan in Place

Successful Operating Plan in Place

WMI is on track to provide business training and issue 10,000 loans per year to rural women in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Managed By and For Rural Women

Managed By and For Rural Women

All income from the loan program is retained by the women's groups and recycled into new loans.

Loan Hubs are Self-sustaining

Loan Hubs are Self-Sustaining

Loan hubs are self-sustaining after initial funding. They can continue operating in perpetuity as long as the loans are repaid.

Inspiring Community Projects

Inspiring Community Projects

Loan program income covers all local operating costs. Excess income is used to provide village-level outreach.

Infrastructure Development

Infrastructure Development

In addition to building human capacity at the local level, WMI constructs meeting halls for the women to conduct program operations.

Solidarity Groups

Solidarity Groups

Our twenty-member loan solidarity groups use social capital as collateral to foster loan repayment.

Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Transfer

Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Transfer

Borrowers learn WMI's important lessons for success in their own language through lectures, songs, skits and role-playing.

Program Impact Documented

Program Impact Documented

Surveys document improvements in household living standards, like health, nutrition, education and home upgrades.

How WMI Loans Work



Voices of WMI

Voices of WMI

Compiled by our 2024 Summer Interns Sakura and Kurumi, learn how WMI has impacted the lives of 6 incredible women in East Africa.

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Quick Links

Annual Report

Each year WMI provides a summary of program highlights, intern/fellowship experiences, financials and more.

2023 Annual Report
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Meet WMI Borrowers

Let Olive, Robinah, Margaret and Alice tell you about their businesses...

Meet Olive

Olive Wolimbwa's loan launched a business that paid school fees for her eldest son to graduate from University, and obtain a full-time job in the microfinance industry.

Meet Robinah

Robinah Wamanga used her loan to build a produce business from scratch; after getting to know other WMI women, she was elected to the local district government.

Meet Margaret

Margaret started a jewelry business that has ended her days of poverty. Margaret shows us her business and in her own words describes how it has changed her life.

Meet Alice

Alice Monje, a mother of nine, bought chicks with her loan and now she runs a thriving poultry business with the help of her entire family that has transformed her future.

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Testimonies from WMI Women

WMI borrowers throughout East Africa are proud to share their stories of how the WMI loan program helped them work their way out of poverty.

Nemburis

Meet Nemburis

Born in the Maasai village of Alchenemelock, Nemburis moved to Alailelai, Tanzania when she married at the age of 18. As one of eight siblings, she walked two-hours each way to primary school in Alailelai to obtain an education.

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Kamida

Meet Kamida

Kamida's story starts eight years ago when she ran a café in the border town of Busia, Uganda , where her husband is from. However, business in Busia was a failure. Being a foreigner to the town, she was alienated by the community.

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