Women Programs

PPF

Jobs Creation

Micro-Credit

Skills Training

   

Super-micro Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs requiring less than $100 (average loan: $75) to grow their ventures. Target recipients are in rural African communities and are often impoverished women with children, however men may also qualify. Most of these entrepreneurs are struggling with less than $50 in capital (some with just $20 in their name) to buy and retail food products and essential village grocery items. At the end of their 10-hour day, 6 days a week of struggle, most return home with less than $3 in profit and has 4 mouths to feed, cloth and house. Intervening with an ICAfrica micro loan of just $50 allows the entrepreneur to expand her/his trading capital to between $70 and $100 and is now able to earn $6 to $10 a day in profit. This simple action has suddenly brought this impoverished entrepreneur's family above the poverty line. She is now empowered to better use her talents to continue to grow her family's wealth generating capacity. 
Success measurement - Has weekly income of the recipient increased by at least 20% as a result of this intervention?.

Micro Entrepreneurs
Micro ventures requiring between $100-$999 to grow their businesses. Target recipients are artisans and skilled individuals (community service providers, retailers, carpenters, tailors, barbers, mechanics, etc.) Like the Super-Micros, weekly earnings should increase as a result of increased business capital. 
Success measurement - Increased business stability and the net value of the business increases at least by 10% and or entrepreneur's monthly income increase by 20%.

Small Businesses
Enterprises requiring $1000 or more to a maximum of $2500 to expand their businesses and hire at least one new staff member. Target recipients are small professional firms, artisans and skilled individuals in the manufacturing or service sectors (furniture, garment, transportation, processing, internet services, computer repairs, auto-mechanics, etc.). 
Success measurement  - Whether revenue is expanded by at least 5% and at least one new full-time job is created within 12 months for every $1000 in low interest cash injection.


Small Venture Capital
Often for businesses requiring over $2500 and up to $10,000 to expand. As the business's potential capacity to generate more growth and therefore more jobs is reached, often the entrepreneur, at this point, is comfortable with his/her personal economic circumstances and may not have the incentive to take the risk of additional loans to reach new growth potential. Small Venture Capital (SVC) allows several outside investors to share, with the entrepreneur, the financial risk associated with this new expansion by participating in equity ownership of the business through small investments from as little as $100 and up. Investment opportunity is open to investors from all over the world who are interested in making a profit and or becoming a member of the growing world-aware citizenry that are contributing to poverty reduction in Africa. Interested investors will receive full information & regular reports about the company they are investing in. Minimum  investment period is 2 years, at the end of which investors get their principal back plus the earning of dividend. For more information please email:  admin@icafrica.com 
Success measurement  - Entrepreneur accepts new challenge of business growth, creates minimum of two jobs, makes a minimum of 2% annual profit for the investors. 

BRIEF HISTORY
The Entrepreneurial Assistance for Jobs Creation (EAJC) program has been ICAfrica's core program delivery instrument since its inception in 2007. The EJAC program has so far, provided grassroots economic development assistance to more than 650 individual projects, and provided skills training and business coaching primarily in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. ICAfrica is also planning to engage in projects in other African countries in the 2011/2015 period.

To qualify for this program please see the requirements here.

$50 Rescues Alice & her 2 children 
In Awuda village Nigeria, she only had $30 to her name. 28 but looked 50ish from tough hash life. ICAfrica boosted her super-micro retail business capital with $50 and 3 weeks later, Alice regained her body and looked her age. She is now earning enough profit to feed her family. Her two very young sons became bubbly and happy again as the three now live above the poverty line. This is the power of $50 to an impoverished woman in an African village.

Family Fish Retail Enterprise
ICAfrica loaned $150 to Mrs. Fidelia Oyoyo, an impoverished 46-year-old mother with three children in Zwedru, Liberia. She was able to expand her fish retail trade, which she operates with her husband, Mark. The family now earns an average monthly profit of $45, up from $27 only one year ago. With the additional income, they can now afford two good meals a day, repair their leaking roof, buy some used clothing, and pay for school supplies for their children

African Yam Farmers
A group of eight yam producers in Ewoki, Cameroon, received $389 from ICAfrica to save their farm after a devastating drought. The loan provided a lifeline to last until the following harvest. The farm has now recovered and is 100 per cent self-sustaining.

Humanitarian Support

While working with entrepreneurs, ICAfrica encounters other areas of human needs which cannot be overlooked. Outside of our core program, ICAfrica devotes 10 per cent of its resources to services that impact on the "improvement of the human condition", such as community water projects, disaster relief, HIV/AIDS support, school feeding programs, computers for schools, books and community library projects, literacy programs, community health, orphanage care, and housing for the poor.

KIVA Lending Team

ICAfrica's KIVA lending team is made up of caring men and women from all over the world who share a common interest in helping to reduce poverty through entrepreneurial success. Our goal is to loan small amounts of money though the KIVA network to struggling entrepreneurs in Africa. If you are interested in learning more, or if you would like give out a loan of $25 or more please CLICK HERE