Welcome to our monthly Impact News Roundup, where we highlight interesting news in
the impact investing industry along with insights from Oikocredit US. We are dedicated
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The Season of Joy and Mercy’s Story
Mercy Mbatia is a client of Oikocredit’s Kenyan savings and loan partner, Unaitas Sacco Society Ltd (Unaitas). In 1971 Mercy Mbatia’s husband passed away, leaving her a widow and single parent of four children. As her children grew up and left the house, Mercy needed to diversify and improve her income. So in 2015 she decided to start a chicken farm, but she didn’t have enough money to get started. Read how a loan from Unaitas helped Mercy improve her livelihood and empower other women around her.
Now That Countries Have Made Their Climate Pledges, How Will They Pay for Them?
Committing to a future without fossil fuels creates opportunities for investors as the clean energy industry looks to expand.
"The energy sector presents one of the largest opportunities for investment because putting money into clean energy, such as solar and wind, makes perfect sense."
How Can People of Faith Align Their Money with Their Values?
How Can People of Faith Align Their Money with Their Values? Find out on the latest episode of Alignment: Using Your Values to Invest in Social Change featuring Amanda Joseph. Amanda is the Director of Faith-Based Initiatives at Calvert Impact Capital and has over a decade of experience managing the first and only national initiative to organize the American Jewish community to invest in low-income communities across the country.
How Impact Investors Can Prepare for the Next Crisis
"In early 2020, Rising Academies, one of the fastest growing education companies in Africa, faced a dual crisis. The company was poised to expand into Ghana when an unexpected short-term delay from their primary equity sponsor threatened the deal. Soon after, Covid-19 lockdowns threw the entire education sector into chaos. To keep their impact — and business — on track, Rising Academies needed emergency funding — fast."
Financial Inclusion Will Continue To Be A Key Focus in 2022
"India has made significant strides in financial evolution. In 2014, the launch of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) proved to be a historic beginning to deepen financial inclusion. Through this initiative, the Government of India has made it easy and affordable for the masses to access financial services. A savings bank account is the starting point in the financial inclusion journey. Once the bank account is opened, individuals can get access to other financial products like loans, medical and life insurance, and pensions."
New Year’s Message: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Oikocredit’s new Managing Director, Mirjam ‘t Lam, reflects on her first year at Oikocredit and discusses what we can look forward to 2022 and beyond."Despite the many changes and uncertainties, 2021 has been a successful year for the Oikocredit community, making me proud and grateful to lead Oikocredit as Managing Director."