Micro Credit Positive Planet

FOUNDATION

Founded in 1998 by two economist and philanthropist named Jacques Attali et Arnaud Ventura this organization has the mission to help people in the most poor part of the globe. They are giving financial aide to people who are in need and have specials ambitions to undertake their own business. This non gouvernemental organisation count more than 300 collaborators, coaches, banker and financial advisors to insure the good functioning of the new business they are financing. The headquarter of this organisation is based in Paris but they are present in more than 30 countries.

WHY "POSITIVE PLANET"?

At the origine named "PlaNet Finance", the organisation changed his name to continue with this idea that if we want to develop a durable economy that can profite to every one we have to consider the needs of each other. This post modernism way of thinking is closely liked to the (utopian?) concept of well-fare economy. This change of name can also be related to some critics who consider that giving credits to poor people is a way to colonialist and make them dependent to the occidental finance. They strongly believe that "Microfinancing is the key for democracy as well as stability for two reasons-one is the creation of the middle class, the other being the fact there are jobs and there is no democracy without jobs."

GOAL

Their main goal is to give the possibility to every one how wants to develop a business by allocating them a small amount of money with a low interest on it. This money permit to the people to buy the fist stuff they need in order to start to work correctly. Their long term ambition is to give the first input to people how will develop a durable and localized market which can also benefit to the surrounded community. They do believe that with these small and targeted intervention they can ameliorate the life condition of thousand of people all around the globe.

They also teach to these new entrepreneurs how to manage their money and how to make smart saving in order to maintain the prosperity of their business. They give them access to a bank account and they teach them how to use for exemple their smartphone to make financial transaction. In the year 2013 in Kenya, 15% of the population have access to the finance but 50% own a mobile phone so they see this opportunity of mobile technologie like a new way of having access to finance by the intermediary of apps or simply sms transactions.

Between the year 2011 and 2014 over 700 000 people opened a bank account but they are still 2 billion people on earth who don't have one. By providing them some courses about the use of these technologies, Positive Planet wants to help them to enter in this new connected financial system.

FOR WHO?

Every one who needs somme money to start their business can ask Positive planet for the first financial aide. No matter in which you are, they analyse your request and if their experts think it's a durable project they loan you some money. As said before they also make sure that your company will profite to the people living in the area.

The money came principally from donator and the interests (around 3-5%) are covering the cost of the local experts. In parallel of this foundation, they have founded a bank (Microcred) to be capable to operate and transfert the money in every country.

The donator officially loan the money to the organisation so if someone wants to take back his money, it's possible. When someone loan his money, he is able to choose which project he is financing and he will receive live information about the process of the project. In average the foundation of a project last between 2 days and 3 month and if the money is not reimbursed after one year planet finance give the money back to the donator but apparently till now it has never happened.

FIELDS

This organisation is present in many field with the idea to give the opportunity to every one one to develop their ideas. The principal fields are:

-Access to financial services

-Access to education

-Access to entrepreneurship

-Access to markets

-Access to health

-Access to energy

-Access to housing, water and sanitation

Every year Positive Planet awards the best project in each category. they choose the best project according the success of the business but also the durability and the capacity of offering better life condition to the concerning area.

TWO EXEMPLES Of "ACCESS TO HOUSING, WATER AND SANITATION"

SOUTH AFRICA

In a context where 7.5 million South african live in substandard accommodation and the vaste majority of the poorest people have no access to financial services, the solution of the microfinancing has appear as the clever solution for the experts of Positive Planet. The aim of the project is to secure a decent accommodation to these people and by increasing the financial resources of the families, it will gradually improve housing condition.

The beneficiaries of this project are divided in 3 regions and are over 60 000. Concretely this project will develop thank to the opening of two agency of crowdfunding (in Nelson Mandela bay and Johannesburg). In these agencies some local specialist will be present to help the development of the houses, the financial and the non-financial products in line with the market need.

NEPAL

In the region of Ilam which is famous for his green tea. The programme manages by Positive Planet is focused on the the quality of the final product of the farmers so that they can sell their tea to a better price. Tis program is focused on a green development of the local agriculture to one the one hand get the bio label and on a second hand preserve the health of the farmers by not contaminating their water. The sanitation aspect is on the core of their fight to provide drinkable water in the houses.