Youth financial Inclusion - The Story of Patient (VO. English)

Patient is a client of Umutanguha Finance Ltd. (Umutanguha), formally known as Union of Savings and Credit Cooperative Umutanguha (UCU) in Rwanda.
Umutanguha began as a microfinance institution focussed on facilitating access to financial services and accompanying non-financial services to all excluded populations, mainly those living in rural areas and with a particular focus on widows, orphans, youth and women, in order to enable them to save and to create income-generating activities through loans. Umutanguha has served over 74,000 clients with deposits of more than US$1.3 million and provided loans to 5,270 borrowers with a portfolio of US$2.6 million.

Under the YouthStart programme, Umutanguha piloted an innovative approach to youth by creating a microleasing product. This approach offers great potential for linking youth to financial services as well as promoting economic opportunities for youth. Youth clients of Umutanguha acquire start-up kits to begin working in sectors that hold great potential, such as agriculture, technology or construction.