Microfinance in Sub-Saharan Africa

Poverty reduction through microfinance is tied to the belief that access to credit enables poor people to increase business earnings and improve livelihoods. Often the church has embraced microfinance as part of its theology of social transformation. Microfinance practitioners therefore, have to prudently manage their institutions and ensure improvements in poor people's lives - a complex combination given that livelihood changes can only be confirmed by people experiencing poverty. This mini book comes out of my research to investigate how poor people can inform microfinance practitioners for improved livelihoods. I interacted with the Chinyika Community in rural Zimbabwe, and the COSUN women's group of peri-urban Zambia, to allow their voices to inform lessons for microfinance practitioners.