Vietnam Lawyers Provide Pro Bono Assistance to Lendwithcare
Lawyers in our Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh offices recently advised Lendwithcare, our global Touch charity partner, on its partnership with the Microfinance and Community Development Institute (MACDI). MACDI is a Vietnamese microfinance institution that is at the forefront of microfinance in the country and has been providing loans to low-income sectors of the population since 2008. It provides not only loans but also training to entrepreneurs in the rural areas of north and central Vietnam, 90% of whom are women seeking an average loan of less than US$100.
MACDI was recently presented with the 2014 Vietnam NGO Award for its outstanding work supporting community development and enabling low-income groups to access opportunities that improve their lives. The awards, which were sponsored by the Irish government, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Resource Alliance, are the first of their kind in the country and seek to "advance the country's nonprofit sector by promoting financial and organizational sustainability and strengthening community support of civil society."