Microfinance Program (Completed)

Accessible and affordable financial services can make an important contribution to helping the poor to help themselves. The Australian Government recognises this and is committed to increasing the level of expenditure in this area, across all programs, including Indonesia. Previously activities in microfinance through the Australian aid program were limited to small-scale activities under the Small Activities Scheme. Following an AusAID Microfinance Identification Mission conducted in 2001 and a programming mission conducted in 2002, AusAID has developed a specific microfinance program to address this important issue.

The A$1.3 million program focuses on institutional strengthening of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Indonesia to assist them to scale up their operations and reach more of the target poor. The program is currently being conducted in co-operation with Opportunity International who is working with a local partner in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Project Title	Opportunity in NTT: Increasing the Outreach and Enhancing the Organisational Capacity of TLM Foundation
Grant	A$341,800
Recipient	Opportunity International and Yayasan Tanaoba Lais Manekat
Location	Kupang, NTT
Period	June 2002 to December 2003
Description	To provide sustainable microfinance services, predominantly to poor women, in NTT through the provision of loans, and create a robust microfinance institution through a range of institutional strengthening measures.

This page was last updated on 24 June 2003