Winkomun / ACAF – Spain & Europe
Association for Self-Financed Communities is creating self-sustaining, immigrant-led financial groups, addressing the basic financial and networking needs of Spain’s immigrant population ensuring their full citizenship and participation in the economy. ACAF has been involved in the expansion of this model in Spain and to Senegal, Portugal, Italy, Holland, Hungary and Belgium.
Short description social enterprise
ACAF develop a simple methodology that has shown that communities of low-income people can fund themselves and have access to credit, without any external help. Each group of 30 carries out its own small saving and loan programs. Although they share a common methodology and network, each agrees on its own rules of operation and coordinates is own activities. To join a group, each member is required to initially buy a number of “stocks” in the group; the amount purchased determines his or her capacity for credit. This capital allows each member to request small loans for which they pay a certain amount of interest determined by the group. The interest paid by the members who request loans provide a profit for the other members of the community.
Short description solution/tool
ACAF launched Winkomun, a free online platform meant to give access to ACAF methodology to anyone all over the world. Winkomun’s main purpose is to create a worldwide network of self-funded communities and give them all the necessary help, including tools such as online tutorials, downloadable contents and tools to manage the groups’ meetings.
Available tools which could be useful for partners to communities, or change agents based in communities:
Where to find more
- https://www.ashoka.org/en-ch/fellow/jean-claude-rodriguez-ferrera#accordion
- 7 principles to self-sustaining self-financed groups in the free book “The other Microfinance” (page 75-80): http://en.fundefir.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Other-Micrifinance.pdf
Similar tools (different tools, different organization, different region & language)
● See also BanKommunales
Who’s best to contact
- Jean Claude Rodriguez Ferrera – founder & director
Contact Form