In the past year the health fund provided life changing care for 18 more people, a total of 169 over three years.

Another enterprising woman took the initiative to loan her neighbour money for medical care, giving rise to a social health fund using the same structure as the entrepreneur’s revolving micro-loans.

Villagers often lend neighbours money to get to a hospital and buy medicine. We saw an opportunity for a social healthcare fund everyone could access.

The communities elect a committee to manage the fund, decide on loans and oversees repayments; which includes a guarantor to ensure loans are repaid so the fund endures, and a commitment to topping it up by 2 to 5% each year.