Corporate Partners

MicroLoan highly values opportunities to develop mutually beneficial corporate CSR partnerships. Each partnership is different of course, but MicroLoan combines its strong social mission with a business focus to enable both the charity, the company and its employees and networks to achieve their goals.

MicroLoan Corporate CSR Relationship Development

The MicroLoan Foundation is grateful to the many people who have made contributions, both large and small.   We greatly appreciate the support of our corporate sponsors and would like to thank the following organisations.

MicroLoan's Featured Partners

The Language Factory is a UK-based translation agency specialising in market research. The Language Factory sponsored a new loan office in Malawi in 2010 and are working towards sponsoring a new office in Zambia in 2011. "The work MicroLoan are doing in Africa is incredibly inspiring and everyone at The Language Factory is very proud to be able to support them", Shona Lockhart, owner.

Deloitte UK’s Philippa Thompson is working with the MicroLoan Foundation as part of its CSR (corporate social responsibility) “21 Fellows” programme. This partnership gives us access to invaluable expertise and to the resources necessary to improve our operations in Africa as well as creating fresh impetus for change.

We hope that the link with Deloitte will be the first of several such CSR partnerships with international businesses. In our view they have the potential to deliver mutually beneficial and socially-driven outcomes as well as offering companies and their employees a range of new opportunities and experiences. 

As a Deloitte21 Fellow, Philippa is creating a training program for MicroLoan’s staff which aims to develop their management and business skills to enable them to better train the women whom MicroLoan supports. The training program will also deliver a series of qualifications for MicroLoan’s staff.

“We are committed to ensuring that our charity relationships are about much more than just financial support. We want to use our skills and resources to create a long lasting impact, helping address key issues for the charities we support and develop capacity in a genuine partnership. At the same time, we want to ensure our people have the chance to develop their skills and broaden their experience. Our relationship with the MicroLoan Foundation is a perfect example of this.” Heather Hancock, Managing Partner with responsbility for CSR.

The MicroLoan Foundation entered a partnership with Sweatshop in July 2011. Sweatshop is the largest specialist running retailer with 35 stores renowned for their customer service, innovation and a well respected fitting service for footwear. In response to the startling statistic that 85% of women in the UK are wearing the wearing the wrong bra size, they have formally launched their specialist bar fitting service across their stores. This designed in collaboration with Dr Scurr, head of the world's leading research unit on Breast Science.

Both the Sweatshop & MicroLoan Foundation pride themselves on the service we offer our clients. Working together we want to create widespread awareness and understanding of the importance of wearing a sports bra at the same time working together to help empower women in Africa. 

 

African Business Advisors

African Business Advisors is an African-based and African focused business with strong and long-established international links. It is part of the Omega Group of companies (www.omegainvest.co.za) which is best known for its international marketing and investment promotion activities, built up over the past twenty years. For management details other information visit www.Africanbiz.co.za.

Omega has kindly pledged to make charitable donations to the MicroLoan for each person who books a place at the “Microfinance to Inclusive Banking” conference in Johannesburg on 3rd & 4th November 2010. Please take a look at the event’s brochures and booking forms below.If you can inform Omega when you book that you were referred by MicroLoan you will help further our vital work in Africa at no cost to you.

Download the delegate brochure here

Download the booking form here

SDL is the world leader in Global Information Management

SDL is a global leader in providing expert web content management; structured content solutions; language technology; and multilingual translation software and translation services.

SDL kindly sponsors MicroLoan’s branch in Mzimba, Malawi and is developing a relationship with the charity providing expert support and funding to enable MicroLoan to help greater numbers of women in Africa.

MicroLoan was awarded the innocent Foundation scholarship in 2008. We asked them to send Andrew Dougal (pictured below), a juice production specialist, to Malawi to assist on a number of our projects, including our juicemaking project in Chigwirzano.

To watch a video of Andrew's trip click here

MicroLoan entered into a partnership with innocent, the fruit smoothie company, at the beginning of 2007.  Through the innocent foundation, they are providing us with funding over three years to establish co-operatives in irrigation, fruit and vegetable production, and juicemaking. These activities are being undertaken by our Microventures team in Malawi, who provide advanced skills training and tailored business loans to successful clients.  We have seen considerable demand for training in these areas, and so we are confident that our relationship with innocent will turn out to be very fruitful!  To read more about Andrew's trip click here.

Gender iQ is about widening the acceptable range of leadership styles to create an environment where all men and women enjoy working together to get better results.

Gender iQ provides a range of training and coaching solutions to develop strong and effective leadership to deliver business growth in an increasingly global marketplace by tapping into the talents of a balanced and diverse workforce, harnessing the talents of both men and women.

Gender IQ has formed a new partnership with MicroLoan by pledging 10% of its profits to the charity’s work in Africa whilst helping to market the charity’s work amongst its business networks. This partnership will enable MicroLoan to help greater numbers of female entrepreneurs in Africa

Our thanks goes to another of our kind supporters, Patrick Orchard Enterprises Ltd

If you or your company would be interested in finding out about partnership opportunities, please contact our Head of Fundraising, Gemma Oakley.

We would like to thank the following organisations for their significant support of our work:

Accenture Foundation, Anglo American, Body Shop Foundation, DLKW, GIA, Innocent Foundation, Man Group Plc Trust, Reed Elsevier, Russell Investment Group.