Micro Finance turned commercial banking on its head. Loans predominantly given to women?…to the poor?…with no collateral? What for decades seemed impossible has even the initial nay-saying pessimists jumping on board.

But what do you get when you turn Micro Finance on its head? You get Jamii Bora.

Established in 1999 by Ingrid Monroe at the initiative of 50 beggars in Nairobi, Jamii Bora has now become the largest Micro Finance Institution in Kenya. Of the belief that, “any family, however poor, miserable, and hopeless, is capable of getting themselves out of poverty”, Jamii Bora extends loans to not only the poor - but to the poorest of the poor. Loans are extended to anyone who is willing to learn how to help themselves: thieves, criminals and prostitutes alike.

At Jamii Bora, there are no ’clients’ or ‘customers’ - just members. Jamii Bora offers its members various types of loans for micro-businesses, school fees and housing, and has additionally implemented its own Health Care and Life Insurance System. For a mere 15 US$/year, a family of five persons can receive a year of health insurance (and this insurance does not just cover the basics…heart surgeries and hip-replacements have all been performed!)

It is a fact that the poor pay more in rent per square meter than the rich. Jamii Bora quickly reached the conclusion that if the poor could construct their own houses, than they could pay the same amount of money per month in loan repayment and soon own the house they live in. This would not only lead to increased savings in their household budget, but would open the doors to investment opportunities for both their businesses and the school of their children. To aid in this process, Jamii Bora purchased a large plot of land on which their members could build their houses. In a sense, they created a town. Now home to approximately 14,000 members, Jamii Boras’ town has a commercial center, a sewage treatment plant and allows for the reality of business growth.

I had the opportunity of listening to Ingrid Monroe speak at this months RESULTS conference call. To say she is inspiring would be a mere understatement - she is revolutionary. Now in the process of building its second town, we can only expect Jamii Bora to grow even larger and continue to eradicate poverty one dream at a time.

I could go on and on about the successes and innovative strategies of Jamii Bora - but there is simply not enough room on this page (and I’m sure I’d lose all my readers)…but check out JamiiBora.org for more information, updated statistics and Ingrid Monroe’s future plans.