Built on the conviction that poor people can be both reliable borrowers and avid entrepreneurs, ADR launched the Micro-Credit program in 1999. Small loans, ranging from $300 to $6,000, are offered to assist in self-employment projects that allow individuals, who do not qualify for traditional bank loans, to take care of themselves and their families. The purpose of the loan may be to buy a new tool to cultivate a profitable crop or to purchase merchandise to sell at local marketplaces. Regardless of the economic sector, which includes agriculture, fishing, industry, services, commerce and crafts, ADR provides financial services that shift the focus from day to day survival to a viable plan for the future.
ADR implemented its Micro-Credit program with the support of the European Union, and was the first in Lebanon to partner with a commercial bank -- Bank Audi. Additional funds have been received from various public and private institutions, namely ESCWA, UNDP and USAID. Innovation has played a pivotal role in the development of the Association through its pioneering alliance with a standard banking facility and Lebanon’s general mail facility Postal Service -- Liban Post.
More than 2,600 small, self-sustaining businesses have been established since the start of the program with 75% of the loan recipients reporting a significant rise in income. Potential clients are between 18 and 60 years of age living or working in the cazas of Tyre, Saida, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun and Hasbaya. As each loan is paid back, usually within eighteen months, the recycling of funds revitalizes economic activity and encourages other developmental objectives such as savings, civic participation and education or training initiatives.
