Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
CALMEADOW FOUNDATION
Calmeadow, www.calmeadow.com, is a registered Canadian NGO managed by OMTRIX that for 20 years has supported innovative ideas in microfinance; ideas that promote greater levels of efficiency and outreach through the commercial provision of financial services to low-income borrowers and microentrepreneurs. From humble beginnings as a family charity, Calmeadow’s work has produced far reaching impacts on the global microfinance industry.
Given the tremendous growth of the microfinance industry, the role of Calmeadow has evolved over time. The organization recently restructured, reducing its size and concentrating on specific interventions designed to eliminate bottlenecks and barriers within a sector in constant change. All this, with the goal of promoting appropriate and efficient financial services for low-income individuals and their businesses through the strengthening of commercial financial institutions oriented to small and microentrepreneurs. Since its beginning, the NGO has invested in several institutions in Latin America and Africa. Currently, Calmeadow also supports other initiatives that seek to address key issues of the microfinance sector, such as:
- The alignment of interests between stakeholders, particularly management and Directors, with the best interests of the institution itself.
- Commissioning studies on the impact of the global crisis on the microfinance industry.
- Foreign currency exchange risk tied to the MFIs funding structure, www.mfxsolutions.com.
