About us
Money invested in microcredits is one of the most successful investments to eradicate poverty anywhere in the world.
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A microcredit lending program in Sonora, Mexico is sponsored by Rotary Clubs in Arizona, USA.
This program makes small business loans available to the poorest people in the poorest sections of cities and towns in Sonora, Mexico through an existing microcredit financial institution, CrediSilvia S.A de CV.
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These small business loans provide capital to small-scale entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Borrowers are organized into groups of 4- 8 individuals. All group borrowers co-sign a group promissory note pledging repayment of all the individual loans during each loan's cycle.
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When all the loans are repaid, new loans are made available. The current rates of success are 97-98%. Consequently, funds contributed are loaned again and again for decades...they are never used up!
​​Successful borrowers, mostly women, report that their children now attend school full-time, and their living conditions are improved.
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Communities are growing stronger as these businesses grow and expand their workforce. This growth is improved with basic business courses provided by Rotarians and CrediSilvia staff.
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Many families report the success of their businesses keeps their families together in Mexico, allowing them to escape the day-to-day uncertainty of their former lives.
What sort of commerce?
Our program assists a broad spectrum of services, trades, crafts, bodegas, etc. Anything you might imagine being a part of the daily life of a vibrant community
Apiary
Tortillas
Bakery
Nails
Tire Repair
Shoe Sales
and Repair
Barber
Fashion
Automotive
Repair
Road Services
Drinking Water
Beauty Shop
Avon
Mary Kay
Repurposing Animal
Processing Waste
Tamales
Loan Information 2024 - 2025
The Microcredit program is cyclical; our funds are replenished when loans are repaid. Compared to grants, which are single distributions of funds, this program allows us to help more individuals over a longer course of time. The loan system also allows us to keep helping individuals who reliably pay back their loans, rewarding hard work and responsible business practices.
Initial Loan Amount
The Arizona Rotary Microcredit Program was started with a Rotary Foundation Global Grant of $105,000 USD.
Since then, additional Global Grants and donations from Rotary Clubs and individuals has increased our lending capital to $372,700 USD. This capital is lent out and repaid every six months, providing us with a lending capital of nearly three quarters of a million dollars per year.
Since starting the Arizona Rotary Microcredit Program, we have lent over $4 million USD ($75 million MXN).
We provided loans to 1541 clients in 2024. These loans were used by our borrowers to buy additional inventory, new equipment or to add additional staff-all aimed at increasing the standard of living for themselves, their family and those that they employ.
Since the start of the Arizona Rotary Microcredit initiative this program has assisted over 13,000 borrowers improve their standard of living, and as a result they have stayed and prospered in their own country.
Total Clients
Program Funds
The average loan amount per borrower in 2024 was $746.00 USD. The program in 2024 was funded with $353,000 USD, but funds are lent out at varying monthly time frames and payments are also received at varying time frames. In many cases the loans are paid off before they are due (6 months) and in a matter of days those funds are lent out again.
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In review at the end of a 12 cycle period we have generally loaned out and gotten payments back that allows our funding to have an impact of twice our capital base.