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Health and Microfinance: Leveraging the Strengths of Two Sectors to Alleviate Poverty

This paper summarizes the health-related findings associated with the delivery of multiple health protection products and services designed, developed and tested by Freedom from Hunger and five microfinance institutions (MFIs)—Bandhan (India), CARD (Philippines), CRECER (Bolivia), PADME (Bénin) and RCPB (Burkina Faso) from 2006 through 2009. The purpose was to explore whether it was possible to design and offer health-related options to deliver positive health and other social impact for clients while also being practical, cost-effective and financially sustainable for MFIs. Each institution tested a package of health protection products and services that included several components, such as health education, health savings, health loans, health micro-insurance, linkages to health providers and the sale of health products in rural communities. By December 2009, the health protection options of the five MFIs were reaching a combined total of more than 300,000 people.