Microfinance

Maison de la Gare works with our partner Friends of Senegal to provide zero-interest microfinance loans. The program is particularly important for older talibés transitioning from their lives in their daaras, as well as for former talibés struggling to develop, maintain, and grow small businesses that can support them and their families. Graduates of our farming and tailoring apprenticeship programs are among the many beneficiaries.

This program offers a concrete opportunity to men and women excluded from traditional banking channels. Through flexible and personalized loans, they can launch or strengthen their small business projects. This support stimulates individual initiative, encourages self-employment, and boosts the local economy. We have seen individuals and families flourish by gaining the financial capacity to trade, buy, and hire their peers, friends, and family members.

The program includes a training component for potential borrowers. Beneficiaries acquire essential tools to structure their businesses: business management, financial planning, digital marketing, customer service, and inventory management. These skills help them sustain their businesses and better withstand economic downturns.

To date, more than 200 loans have been granted to support beneficiaries in creating or developing income-generating activities in agriculture, livestock farming, crafts, catering, retail sales, sewing, food processing, and much more.

Each project is carefully selected based on its financial viability, potential impact, and borrower motivation. Borrowers benefit from personalized support and regular monitoring from our team.

Through this initiative, Maison de la Gare and Friends of Senegal are committed to reducing poverty and empowering our borrowers to become actors in their own development, building a more stable, dignified and autonomous future.