What I've Been Doing Exactly

I wasn't 100% clear on my assignment before I got here, so it's a good bet you aren't either. Basically, World Vision is starting to implement a brand-new program called World Vision Micro. They've been involved with micro-finance with Vision Fund International (VFI) for a while now, buying MFIs (Micro-finance institutions) all over the world and giving loans through these local banks. The new Micro program sort of combines WV's traditional sponsorship program with micro-finance, allowing donors to select a specific business to fund.

In Rwanda, most of these loans go to people who run small shops for food and drink in their communities. The various branches of VFC (Vision Finance Company- the MFI in Kigali that I'm working with) are responsible for finding good clients, disbursing the loans, and collecting payments. With both Kiva and Micro providing their funding, they are also responsible for filling out three forms per client:

1. An introduction to the client's business and family and expected use/impact of the loan
2. A shorter form halfway through the disbursement period that shows what they've used the money for and their progress on repayment
3. A final form that's basically the same as the 2nd form.

These forms are very important for the donors, so they can see what is being done with the money they have donated. Unfortunately, VFC has not been prioritizing these 'journals' and by the time I got here, about 210 loans were missing one or both of these updates. Many were due over four months ago. Since arrival, I have posted 135 midterm updates and 45 new loans, but upon reaching the end of the stack of papers waiting for me, I found that there are still over 160 loans waiting for an update. It seems that the branches haven't been collecting these updates for some time, even though the loans have been paid back entirely.

I'm told that business in Africa can be like this, hearing promises (We'll get them by this Friday...by next Tuesday...by the weekend...) but not seeing many results. But I can only comment on VFC in this regard, and it's clear that my work is cut out for me- not just in posting all the late material, but in motivating the head office management and the branch managers to prioritize the journals.