ICCO
ICCO is the interchurch organisation for development cooperation. We give financial support and advice to local organisations and networks across the globe that are committed to providing access to basic social services, bringing about sustainable equitable economic development and promoting peace and democracy. Moreover we bring enterprising people in the Netherlands and in developing countries into contact with each other. We work in close cooperation with social organisations, including development organisations, educational organisations and the business community. We, for instance, help people in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe achieve a dignified existence and economic independence. ICCO employs 250 people.
Fair Economic Development aims at improving the economic conditions of poor people, by strenthening their position in the market. Under Fair Economic Development, ICCO supports partner organisations involved in international market programmes (cotton, fruits, forest products), in local market programmes and in microfinance.
Why microfinance? ICCO supports microfinance programmes, because it considers microfinance an important instrument for Fair Economic Development. ICCO believes that microfinance programmes mobilise the entrepreneurship of poor people, women and men. It enables these people to develop small busines-ses of their own choice: handicrafts, market vending, farming, repairs, etc. to earn a better living and to create a better future for their families.
ICCO’s niche in microfinance ICCO has chosen to focus increasingly on rural microfinance programmes: farmers, rural women, rural microenterprise, small enterprise in provincial towns. That fits with ICCO’s rural focus in the field of Fair Economic Development. And it also responds to the fact that microfinance is still quite underdeveloped in the rural areas.
Also ICCO considers its role to give special attention to relatively young microfinance programmes, that is, programmes which are still on the road to become fully self-sustainable. Such programmes have quite some difficulty in getting access to funding, and require substantial support during their start-up period. ICCO supports these programmes in their ambition to become autonomous organisations that cover their costs, have access to market funding and play an enduring role to the benefit of poor people and their businesses.
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Last update: 16 August 2006