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Fundación Paraguaya

Established in 1985, Fundación Paraguaya is a social enterprise that promotes entrepreneurship and provides services aimed at helping people overcome poverty. Microfinance provides small loans to poor people who are excluded from the formal banking sector. The loans offer the opportunity for poor people to grow their businesses and secure basic necessities. Fundación Paraguaya loans primarily to women and uses a group-based model where women who receive loans are part of a committee that is responsible for each individual member repaying their loans. At these committee meetings, Fundación Paraguaya offers educational lessons designed to help women manage their loan resourcefully.
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Team

2012

Social Enterprise:
Fundación Paraguaya

Fellows:
Ashley Armstrong
Anthropology
Michelle Maddex  
Sociology
Amanda Nelson  
Economics

Deliverables

Fundacion Paraguaya Research Report

Ashley Armstrong / Michelle Maddex / Amanda Nelson

In this report, the team critically examined the strengths and weaknesses that they observed at Fundacion Paraguaya in several areas: organizational structure; market demands and consumer behavior; education, support and relationships; and poverty impact measurement.  

Microfinance: A Tool for Diminishing Food Insecurity

Ashley Armstrong

This research looks at the primary factors affecting food insecurity in Paraguay, and it examines how microfinance alleviates food insecurity and how it can make an even more significant impact on the problem.

Applying Lessons from Women’s Economic Behavior to Create MFI Savings Products for Women’s Committees

Amanda Nelson

Poor women face unique financial pressures – they are often the “managers” of their household and carry greater parenthood responsibilities. Understanding the “uniqueness” in the way women save can be used to create saving products specifically for women’s committees served by MFIs.