Oxfam Novib

Injustice is the most important cause of poverty. Every human being has the right to a decent existence, to food, health care, education and a safe life. Every human being has the right to be heard and to have his or her own identity. Especially those who are hit the hardest: women, children and minorities. But hundreds of millions of people live in poverty. Fighting poverty structurally starts with the basic rights of every human being. A just world. Without poverty. Oxfam Novib is fighting for a just world without poverty; together with people, organizations, businesses and governments; through projects and lobby; locally and internationally. Because poverty and injustice are global problems. They are about unjust economic and political relationships. That is why Novib is working with Oxfam International and we have just begun to call ourselves Oxfam Novib. Together we have more influence and achieve more in our struggle for a just world without poverty.

Oxfam Novib Microfinance programme
Micro-finance is not seen as a stand-alone activity, but as a tool to contribute to development. By creating access to financial services, the ultimate aim is to empower poor people and contribute to global equity and social justice. Oxfam Novib aims to support strategic MFIs that contribute to building inclusive micro-finance sectors. Oxfam Novib will target those MFIs that have distinctive characteristics in certain areas of operation or have an important contribution to make to financial sector development. These specific areas of operation are:

1. The development of new markets, like post-conflict areas and underserved countries or areas within countries where microfinance will have to be developed from scratch.
2. Credit for rural development
3. Scaling up of operations in order to serve also micro enterprises growing into small and medium enterprises
4. Product development, like savings, products for women, patients with HIV/AIDS, microinsurance for small entrepreneurs and other poor
5. Contribution to the establishment of a legal framework which allows a supervision of activities of the microfinance sector.

The provision of financial services cannot be the only tool for reaching our objectives and must be used in combination with other tools.