Microfinance Focus, August 24, 2011: Luxembourg based microfinance expert ADA (Appui au développement autonome) has partnered with two Peruvian microfinance institutions FONDESURCO and Caja Huancayo to develop access for micro-entrepreneurs to equipment operating with green energy.

ADA and MicroEnergy International (MEI), with the support of the Luxembourg Directorate for Cooperation created The Energy Inclusion Initiative in 2010. The initiative should enable 10,000  Peruvian micro-entrepreneurs to obtain green energy solutions by 2014 through the financial services provided by the two MFIs.

Last month Caja Huancayo inaugurated its Crediecológico credit programme in Satipo, a town situated deep in the Amazon forest. Solar-powered coffee dryers are now sold in the region, one of the principal coffee growing areas in Peru. The equipment allows farmers to improve the quality of their products and develop their micro-enterprises while protecting the environment. Moreover, Caja Huancayo offers solar water heaters to its clients located in the highlands of the Junín region.

Likewise, NGO FONDESURCO, specialising in microfinance for rural areas, published the programme “FondeENERGIA” for the village of Chivay. Under this programme, micro-entrepreneurs who run hostels or guesthouses can obtain a microloan to acquire a solar water heater.

Caja Huancayo and FONDESURCO will also sell ovens that consume 50% less wood than the traditional one. This equipment will be useful for restaurants, bakeries and households. Not only is the oven economical and ecofriendly but the toxic fumes generated by the wood combustion are evacuated out of the kitchen through its flue.