Nuestras Huellas
Micro lending and financial education in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Our
mission
We help people in vulnerable situations achieve financial independence through solidarity lending and financial education.
Economic instability in Argentina disproportionately affects the most vulnerable.
39.2% of the Argentine population lives below the poverty line, and 94.8% annual inflation (2022) hits lower class households especially hard as the price of food soars.
Our Solution
Since 2002 we’ve helped found more than 60 solidarity lending groups in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. These groups provide collateral-free loans based on trust, and strengthen the personal financial situations of each group’s members. We also run financial education workshops around the country to share critical personal finance lessons.
These are our tools
for transformation
Solidarity lending groups
Spaces of belonging, where members generate transparent, trustworthy, collaborative bonds.
Members have ownership over group management and decision making, and coordinators from Nuestras Huellas help initiate groups and provide support where needed.
Participatory learning
We teach accounting and finance concepts, and help participants share experiences, explore respectful communication, and learn to use new technologies to manage their finances.
Savings
We teach the habits of saving and managing finances.
In each meeting, members discuss savings and plan how to generate funds for their wants and needs.
Microcredits
Solidarity lending groups loan money to members to finance entrepreneurial ventrues and/or improve their homes.
Instead of collateral, borrowers access these microcredits based on trust and community.
97% of the people who participate in Nuestras Huellas programs are women
Women in Argentina earn 20% less than men, according to 2020 statistics.
A majority of people in poor neighborhoods outside of Buenos Aires report not having bank accounts.
And of the 20% that have bank accounts, many lack financial literacy to take advantage of banking services.
Only 22% of those with mobile phones have used them to pay bills, send or receive money, or make purchases in the last 12 months.
Everyone deserves financial independence.
And we’re helping these communities get there.
At Nuestras Huellas, we’re making a tangible impact through the solidarity economy.
Women in Argentina earn 20% less than men, according to 2020 statistics.
More than 3900 people have participated in Nuestras Huellas programs.
65 solidarity banks operate in communities north of Buenos Aires.
249 people passed through our training programs in 2022.
We are a nonprofit organization that operates with the help of these partners
Donate to Nuestras Huellas and support our work.
When you donate, you are supporting our ability to deliver these programs and services:
Our microfinance program
Donations help us start more solidarity lending peer groups, support existing groups, and introduce new technologies into these groups to make them even stronger and more sustainable.
Workshops and courses
Your donations help us offer programming to our participants around financial education and entrepreneurship. We want to continue to create virtual classrooms and broaden the classes we offer.
Your recurring donation makes
a huge impact
We greatly appreciate all donations. However, if you have the means to submit a recurring donation, it makes an outsize impact — you are contributing significantly to our financial stability and the impact we’re able to make.