Sustainable Livelihoods Program – Microfinance For Urban Poverty Reduction

This paper discusses the experience of the Sustainable Livelihoods Project (SLP) in Angola implemented by Development Workshop Angola in partnership with One World Action. The microfinance program has been successful in reaching significant numbers of poor women and men in the informal sector and maintains a high repayment rate. The main focus of the SLP is the development of poverty-targeted microfinance adapted to the Angolan context. The underlying goal is poverty reduction through developing sustainable businesses of clients. The focus on micro-enterprise is because of the large numbers of poor women and men dependent on the sector as a means of coping with economic vulnerability and dislocation caused by the civil war. Support for development of this sector is therefore crucial to any poverty elimination strategy in Angola