Because your donation goes further and does more good here than anywhere else!

1. Zero Expenses! Friends of Senegal is entirely volunteer managed, which means that there are no overhead expenses. Every dollar of your donation helps the deserving people of Senegal!
2. Interest free loans! While many banks offer micro loans, interest rates in Senegal average between 18–30%. Friends of Senegal loans are interest free to the borrower!
3. We teach entrepreneurial skills in order to insure the borrowers’ success! Before being considered for a micro loan from Friends of Senegal, all potential borrowers complete a basic business course in which they learn.
   • Computational Skills.
   • Principles of Market Analysis, which takes into consideration their proposed location, pricing of their products and that of the competition, where and how to purchase their inventory, security of the inventory, and other factors.
   • Pro Forma Construction. Each borrower creates a Profit and Loss Projection for their business. They learn the relationship between the cost of goods purchased and the sales pricing that will be required to repay their loan and earn a profit for themselves.
   • Pros and Cons of self-employment vs working for someone else.
4. 100 % Reimbursement Rate! Since the inauguration of lending program during the COVID pandemic, Friends of Senegal has loaned 22,704,000 CFA (African Financial Community) dollars. We are delighted to report that, after a brief learning curve during which our reimbursements averaged 80%, we can report an astounding record of 100% reimbursements.
   
5. On going support! After the loan is granted, we meet regularly with the borrower to offer business consultation and moral support.
6. No Pressure Peer Groups! Many microfinance programs form subgroups of borrowers in which each individual is responsible for the loan reimbursement of other members of the group. While we encourage peer support groups, we do not make borrowers responsible for the loans repayments of other borrowers! It’s a practice that we think is just plain wrong!

We will use every dollar of your donation to support the people who deserve your help!