First Name (first name only please):



Email:



Our Banking Model

Women First Banks

Our work starts from the ground up. The field staff of Impact First goes out and meets with community leaders and families to assess things like the need, types of businesses, and level of enthusiasm for our services in different areas. Once a decision is reached, our team works with prospective clients to help them form a Women First Bank (WFB). Each WFB is comprised of a Banking Modelminimum of 25 clients who know each other and apply pressure to each member of the group. This helps to ensure repayment of loans, attendance at meetings, and the use of the loan to strengthen the business that it was intended for.

Each Bank sets many of its own rules. For example, Women First Banks may decide to charge small fines to all members who arrive late to meetings. All WFBs have mandatory minimum savings amounts, which can be accessed by members in certain circumstances determined by the Bank. For many of our clients, this is the first time they have ever had loans or savings.

In order to participate in a Women First Bank, each member must commit to the following 5 Key Principles:

  1. To attend group meetings;
  2. To be punctual in repayments;
  3. To have savings;
  4. To help each other and communicate with the other members of their group; and
  5. To be honest and sincere with every member of the group 

Our banking modelEach bank is principally self-regulating, through its elected Board of Directors. The Board is made up of at least five clients who help to oversee the distribution of the credits and the proper recording of all information. All microcredit applications from members are approved first by the Women First Bank and second by Impact First. Loan terms are usually nine months.

In some cases we also provide individual microloans, however these are generally reserved for clients that have had success as part of a WFB and have graduated to require slightly larger amounts.