Organisation

Organisation general information
Organisation name: 
Entrepreneurs du Monde
Founding year: 
1998
Country: 
France
Total number of staff: 
45
Resources dedicated to microfinance: 
30
Percentage of microfinance activities: 
Between 50 and 70%
Type of organisation: 
Non profit
 
NGO, -
Organisation's contact person
Contact person: 
Mr. Fathi Nouira
Address: 
33 cours Albert Thomas
69003
Lyon
France
Phone: 
+33 (0)6 89 44 95 98
Organisation summary
Mission: 

Since its creation in 1998 Entrepreneurs du Monde has been working with communities in developing countries. The organisation enables thousands of women and men living in extremely difficult circumstances to improve their living conditions: it provides support for their own economic initiatives and helps them gain access to products offering significant health, economic and environmental benefits. It helps these people to be successful, which in turn enables them to make economic and social progress.

Today the organisation is active in 11 countries and its work, either through its own programmes or in collaboration with its local partners, focuses on 3 areas:

Social microfinance 

Which provides female market traders, dressmakers, hairdressers, farmers and other people working in the informal sector with financial services (loans, savings, insurance, etc.) and socio-economic services, including training programmes, individual monitoring, referral to other specialised agencies, etc. This allows beneficiaries to develop their businesses and improve their daily lives.

Social entrepreneurship 

Which encourages the distribution of products offering significant health, economic and environmental benefits: gas stoves and improved wood or charcoal cook stoves, solar-powered lamps, spirulina, and housing designed to suit the constraints and meet the needs of the local population. This area of operation serves as an incubator for social and environmental innovation which benefits the families supported by Entrepreneurs du Monde. It enables the development of a local network of independent social enterprises, managed by local entrepreneurs who, with our help, have already developed their skills.

The creation of very small businesses (VSB)

To encourage artisans and basic-service providers to develop very small businesses (VSB).

Type of intervention: 
  • Subsidies / donations in money
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. research / information dissemination)
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. policy advice / development / lobby)
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. networking/ donor / coordination)
Countries of intervention: 
Africa
Asia
Areas of intervention: 
  • Macro level: Client protection, Capacity building (focused on all MFIs)
  • Intermediate level: Community-based finance solutions, Rural finance, Value chain development, Microfinance investment vehicules, Post-conflict/disaster microfinance, Business development services, Social impact/performance, Environmental microfinance, Urban finance, HIV/AIDS, Ultra poor programs
  • Micro level: Capital/equity investments, Financial product development and innovation, Energy products, or other products related to environmental issues, Delivery models (group, indiv.), Performance (financial and social), Ratings and external audits, MFI operations (e.g. general management, governance, finance and accounting, staff training, recuiting), Strategic planning, Risk management, Management information systems
  • Other themes: Impact and performances studies, Evaluation, Knowledge management.
Main competences: 

As an incubator of social microfinance organisations, EdM now has a full time team of around 10 people being able to support the launching, development and consolidation of a microfinance program in developing countries, with technical and financial support (through subsidies).

Please indicate any innovations in your microfinance program planned for the coming year: 
  • Development of Health Insurance in some programs
  • Development of Access to Energy programs