ACCION International

ACCION International was founded in 1961 to address the desperate poverty in Latin America's cities. Begun as a student-run volunteer effort in the shantytowns of Caracas, Venezuela, ACCION today is one of the premier microfinance organizations in the world, with a network of lending partners that spans Latin America, Africa, Asia and the United States. Over the last four decades, ACCION has built a tradition of developing innovative solutions to poverty. Though ACCION's approach has changed over the years, the driving force behind our mission remains the same. It is still the people we serve – hardworking,men and women left behind by the world’s economic systems – who shape our work. It is their courage and ingenuity, and the tremendous power of their dreams that continues to inspire us in the search for better solutions to global poverty. ACCION's goal is to bring microfinance to enough people to have a significant impact on poverty. It has been estimated that it would cost over $250 billion to reach 500 million poor people with microfinance services– a figure well beyond the reach of donor funds. That is why ACCION is leading the effort to make microfinance financially self-sustaining. Source: www.accion.org