Oikocredit

☕🧑🌾🌎 Did you know that your cup of coffee benefits entire communities? That’s the power of cooperatives, which help small coffee farmers grow and market their produce. In honour of the recent International Day of Cooperatives, we’re highlighting the work of COOPERATIVA FRONTERA SAN IGNACIO or COOPAFSI. A farmer may be able to grow superlative beans, but getting them to roasters and consumers requires an entirely different organisation. Cooperatives such as COOPAFSI help producers pool their resources to scale their businesses. Formed in 1968, the Oikocredit partner operates within the districts of La Coipa, Huarango, Tabaconas, and San Ignacio. The Peruvian cooperative comprises 16 committees and provides microfinance, social, and business services to its partners. It also covers a large number of needs that arise from technical agricultural training to community development and health funds. As a result, farmers such as Magdalena López Herrera from San Antonio de la Balsa now get a fair price for their coffee, as well as support with fertilizers, temporary workers at harvest time, and even technical assistance around crops, beekeeping, and climate change. “The cooperative supports us in many ways,” she says. “The practice on our coffee farm has changed. Before, we sold our coffee to the traders. Sometimes buyers came to the house to take it. But they didn't pay us the fair price like the cooperative does. They give us a better price that encourages us to continue growing coffee.” In the process, the entire local community reaps social and economic benefits. So, the next time you brew a cup of coffee, take a moment to appreciate the role of cooperatives and how they build a better future for us all. 👉Find out more about our impact in our most recent impact report: https://lnkd.in/eEKmzeS #Cooperatives #BeTheChange #Coops4SDGs #CoopsDay

🌊 Our new three-year #water, sanitation and hygiene collaboration with Water.org will address gaps in #WASH service provision for underserved communities, initially in #LatinAmerica.    That’s good news for communities challenged by low incomes, poor provision, droughts and #climatechange.    Starting in Brazil, Mexico and Peru, we’ll combine products, services, expertise and networks to develop affordable, viable and scalable solutions for communities in need. Water.org will lead with technical assistance, Oikocredit with debt capital.    👉 Take a look: https://lnkd.in/e299Ebaf #impactinvesting #sustainability #resilience       

📢🤝📈 We’re delighted to announce that small and medium enterprises in Indonesia will soon be able to access business capital more easily. That’s on the back of a loan of EUR 2.4 million to Validus, our new fintech partner in Southeast Asia.    Batumbu, Validus’ Indonesian subsidiary, will use the funds to expand its reach and support more local businesses.    SMEs are the backbone of many economies in Southeast Asia, but they have trouble finding funds to grow their business, partly because of data and risk issues.     IFC - International Finance Corporation puts Indonesia’s MSME financing gap at USD 234 billion.     See how we’re helping address the gap: https://lnkd.in/ehzAXJjY   #SMEFinance #Indonesia #BeTheChange #MSME

“As a social impact investor, we want to support sectors that touch the lives of the #communities around us,” says Caroline Kamau-Mulwa, Oikocredit’s Regional Director for Africa. “This is a key part of our strategy.”     Hence our new three-year EUR 7.4m #water, sanitation and hygiene partnership in #Kenya with Sidian Bank and Aqua for All.   We’ll be supporting #SMEs and #WASH service providers with a target disbursement of 480 loans to benefit 3 million Kenyans, 40% of lending going to #women-led businesses and 60% to service providers.    That’s three #SDGs – 5, 6 and 13 – in a single project!     Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eZMnrRfj

👉 Join our online session TOMORROW with the Oikocredit partner Conacado from the Dominican Republic and Chocolatemakers! Learn about the cocoa value chain, the challenges, and how you can make a positive impact. 🌱 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2024 ⏰ Time: 18:45–20:00 CEST 🌐 Platform: Zoom Register now and get an exclusive discount on delicious, ethically sourced chocolate from Chocolatemakers, made with cocoa from our partner Conacado! https://lnkd.in/ehDn9RxT #ChocoholicsUnite #EthicalChocolate #SustainableCocoa #FairTrade #EcoFriendly #CocoaValueChain #MakeAnImpact #BetterPlanet #FairPay #OnlineSession

🆕Our new US$10m partnership with AfricInvest Group Private Credit (APC) will support small and medium enterprises across #Africa. Our first-time investment will boost APC’s supply of medium- to long-term credit to African #SMEs, targeting enterprises underserved by mainstream financial institutions because they lack collateral.     Besides tailored financial solutions, APC offers #capacitybuilding to help investee companies thrive and expand sustainably. With our capital infusion APC can increase outreach in multiple countries and contribute to a thriving SME sector as the backbone of Africa’s economy.    👉Want to know more?https://lnkd.in/eFrCQHHZ

Are you a chocoholic? We sure are! 🍫😋 Ever wondered how you could enjoy delicious piece – or, let’s be honest, a whole bar – of chocolate AND contribute to a better planet and fair payment for cocoa famers? 🤔 👉 Join our online session with the Oikocredit partner Conacado from the Dominican Republic and Chocolatemakers BV! Learn about the cocoa value chain, the challenges, and how you can make a positive impact. 🌱 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2024 ⏰ Time: 18:45–20:00 CEST 🌐 Platform: Zoom 👉Register now and get an exclusive discount on delicious, ethically sourced chocolate from Chocolatemakers, made with cocoa from our partner Conacado! We can’t wait to see you online! 😍 https://lnkd.in/eDmAKPkH #ChocoholicsUnite #EthicalChocolate #SustainableCocoa #FairTrade #EcoFriendly #CocoaValueChain #MakeAnImpact #BetterPlanet #FairPay #OnlineSession

🌍🌱We are celebrating #WorldEnvironmentDay with our innovative US$2.5m investment in French green-tech NetZero which will expand #biochar production in #Brazil. This will support #smallholder #coffee #farmers in increasing their yields using less synthetic fertiliser, reduce on-farm carbon emissions and create well-paid rural-industrial jobs.     Our Director of Impact Investments, Dave Smit, says: “Biochar is a new investment opportunity with significant impact on coffee farmers’ yields and soil quality, providing increased income and decarbonising coffee production … We are very pleased to support the scaling of this technology.” It was a pleasure to host NetZero team in Oikocredit's office in Amersfoort, and learn more about the power of biochar.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/grvfzfhK   #climate  #impactinvesting  #socialimpact  #developmentfinance  #sustainability  #resilience  #agriculture     

Our colleague Ulrike Haug shares her authentic experience from the Oikocredit #coffeejourney in Peru, where she witnessed the social impact of Oikocredit's support on local coffee farmers and their communities. Her reflections on sustainable practices and the challenges faced by these farmers highlight the importance of appreciating the dedication behind every cup of coffee. 

🌱🌍🎉 Congratulations to our partner, Good Nature Agro! The Zambian social enterprise dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers and fostering #sustainable #agricultural growth, has been named among Africa's Fastest Growing Companies of 2024 by the UK’s Financial Times in its prestigious annual ranking. 🏆 Ranked number 44, Good Nature Agro, distinguishes itself as the sole Zambian representative among the top 50 performing companies in Africa's private sector. 📈 The company celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Good Nature Agro has come a long way since its inception in 2014. From a humble start with just 40 smallholder farmers in Zambia’s Kasenengwa District, it has steadily expanded its reach. It now works with over 20,000 smallholder farmers across all the country’s provinces and is expanding its operations into neighbouring Malawi. Good Nature Agro focuses on the legume seed and commodities businesses. Thanks to its innovative initiatives and a commitment to improving livelihoods, it has also helped to significantly increase incomes for #smallholderfarmers. 👉The ranking: https://lnkd.in/dzJa_HvU #GoodNatureAgro #Agriculture #BeTheChange #Oikocredit #SustainableDevelopment #Africa #FastestGrowingCompanies #FinancialTimes