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Small Loans Yield Big Health Profits
Brian Vastag
JAMA. 2004;292:159-160.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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In countries hard hit by the AIDS epidemic, basic needs often go unfulfilled, rendering medical care an unattainable dream. But one innovative program—a kind of public health perpetual-motion machine—is helping families cope with the epidemic by providing the means to allow them to help themselves.
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Women who are members of a Village Health Bank program in Malawi that provides small business loans and health education learn how the program and group should operate. (Photo credit: Project HOPE Malawi)
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Run by Project HOPE, a Norfolk, Va, nonprofit organization, the 11-year-old Village Health Bank offers small loans to collectives of 10 to 20 women in Malawi, Thailand, and 5 other developing countries. Women who receive loans attend twice-monthly health education sessions, tailored to local needs, while repaying the principal and small amounts of interest.
"The beauty of this model is that it takes this collective from a single village . . . [Full Text of this Article]
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
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Microeconomic Loans and Health Education to Families in Impoverished Communities: Implications for the HIV Pandemic
Sherer et al.
J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic Ill) 2004;3:110-114.
ABSTRACT
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