What is a Microfinance Institution?
What is Winheedcam?
What is KWIHEED?
Board of Directors

What is a Microfinance Institution (MFI)? 

In the late 1970’s, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, an economist from Bangladesh, developed a microfinance program, called the Grameen Bank Initiative, in which small loans were offered to poor women. Contrary to expectations that poor women would not pay back loans, more than 90% of the women paid on time and in full, and were able to raise their families’ economic status. Initially, the women used the money for agriculturally related activities, but later expanded to more urban projects. For example, buying large quantities of soap or oil at wholesale prices, and selling them at a profit.

If overhead expenses are kept low, and loan recipients repay loans on time and in full, the potential is there for such programs to be sustained indefinitely. MFI’s are now operating successfully throughout the world, including the USA.

MFI’s have the potential for social good, enabling families to access the health care system, and providing education for their children (paying school fees).

What is Winheedcam?

Our MFI, called Winheedcam, is owned and operated by the Cameroon people without top-down management from outsiders, and compliance imposed without local input.

WINHEEDCAM = Women’s Initiative for Health, Education and Economic Development Cameroon

An education component focusing on health and business practices is an integral part of Winheedcam.

Inherent in Winheedcam is the capacity to target vulnerable groups such as women, the disabled, women suffering from leprosy, widows, AIDS orphans, and HIV-positive women.

This organization is the operations component of the program and the staff manages independently their day-to-day activities. Their duties include:

• Informing women of program and processing applications for loans

• Giving out the loans

• Collecting payments

• Maintaining financial reports

• Coordinating health and business education

• Making frequent visits to the villages

• Adopting a “Tough Love” approach. This is a loan, not a grant!

Staff include a Chief of Operations, field coordinators, accountants/auditors, and a driver.

The Board of Directions is composed of six men and five women who meet monthly. The chairman of the Board is Tih Pius Muffih.

What is KWIHEED?

KWIHEED is a 501(C) (3) tax-exempt organization that raises the funds for the support of WINHEEDCAM. It has a Board of Directors, who together bring extensive experience working in Africa, microcredit program management and financial management to their service.