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| Project Name: | Peri-Urban Lusaka Small Enterprise (PULSE) |
| Project Description: |
PULSE's objective is to increase household income, economic security and employment opportunities among families of poor micro and small entrepreneurs who are constrained by an unfavorable economic climate, poor business management skills and lack of collateral to access capital from conventional banks. PULSE offers the following services: a) loans with competitive interest rates; b) convenient repayment schedules; c) attractive interest rates on deposits in loan insurance fund; d) business management skills training; and d) borrower's protection fund.
PULSE has branches in six compounds and an additional delivery point in central Lusaka. From inception until end
of 2002, PULSE cumulatively provided credit worth ZMK 12,969 millions to 19,851 micro entrepreneurs; however, it
did not achieve sustainability as its operational and financial self-sufficiency, with investment income, only stood at 70 percent and 34 percent respectively. Since August 2002, PULSE is implementing a five-year business plan, based on a change strategy that identifies and aims to optimize use of under-utilized resources, identifies and mitigates weaknesses and aims to fully exploit strengths. CARE projects a gradual growth, reaching up to 7,400 clients by the year 2006, and achieving full financial self-sufficiency by the year 2005. |
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