Sharia, Islamic law, prohibits usury, the collection and payment of interest, as well as investing in businesses that are considered unlawful. But with some modifications, microfinance can be made Shariah-compliant, opening up access to credit and poverty alleviation services to many Muslims. The department of Noun, in western Cameroon, has a population of 1 million, […]

Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen was a leading figure in the development of financial cooperatives, both in Europe and around the world! Here is a brief overview of his life and achievements. Born in 1818 in Hamm, Germany, Raiffeisen came from a family of small farm operators in the Rheinland. Working as a labourer from a young […]

What does co-operation mean to First Milk? “Through our members, partners and joint ventures, co-operation means working with like-minded organizations who share our ambitions, passion and sustainability beliefs.” At the core of everything First Milk does, is the drive to make returns back to its farmer members, and drive a sustainable future for them and […]

In post-civil war Spain’s Basque country, a group of young, working class graduates with few job prospects founded a small co-operative to build paraffin stoves. They then began to set up other co-operative business ventures. When they needed capital for expansion, they started their own co-operative bank. These young people had been taught the ways […]

Haitians are working to provide access to good sturdy housing for everyone two years after the country was hit by a devastating earthquake. “I was one of the lucky ones,” says Joël Jean-Baptiste, a development expert and a leader of a savings and housing co-op in southeastern Haiti. “I didn’’t lose any family, just a […]