Why Integrate Microfinance and Health Education

Despite the undeniably positive effect of microfinance on the lives of the poor, increasing income and assets alone does not effectively address daily health issues that often prevent movement out of the cycle of poverty.  A majority of microfinance clients still have an insufficient understanding of health issues related to nutrition, family planning, childcare, sanitation, HIV/AIDS and others.  Providing health education to the poor is a critical avenue of learning that can reduce vulnerabilities and alleviate poverty. 

By integrating health education with microfinance community groups we can create a synergistic effect between the two, helping the poor to protect against and cope with health and financial shocks, seize economic opportunities, meet life-cycle needs and build assets.  It is clear that sustainable microfinance for the very poor is the best tool we have for economic empowerment and when financial services are integrated with health education, it can dramatically enhance movement out of poverty. 

Global Expansion Project

Our goal for the Financing Healthier Lives Project is to globally expand a proven and innovative self-sustaining model of integration through the creation of a worldwide network of trainers initially reaching over half a million microfinance clients in eighteen countries with life-saving health education lessons. 

Our objectives at the completion of this global project are to:

1)    Create a global group of social entrepreneurs capable of providing health education trainings to microfinance organizations in a sustainable manner after the project period. 
2)    Reach over a half a million clients during the project period to show that supply of a quality health education training program is scalable.
3)    Create a breakthrough in the microfinance marketplace by showing that integration of health education is financially sustainable for MFIs without continued donor support.

With these objectives in mind, our project intends to produce the following outcomes:

o    At least 540,000 microfinance clients (30,000 microfinance clients per country) reached with life-saving health information.
o    1,800 field workers (100 per country) trained.
o    Partnerships built with 90 MFIs (5 MFIs per country).
o    36 In-Country Health Education Trainers (2 trainers per country) trained.