GHAPE

Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment

 

About Us

GHAPE is a non-governmental, not-for-profit and apolitical organization working towards a society where the poor especially women and young people are empowered to develop their potential, creativity, and skills as productive and dynamic members of their community and participate fully at every level of development, both individually and collectively, promoting values through a holistic approach.

Currently there are 18 centers at the main branch in Bamenda, Cameroon and 10 centers at the branch in Belo, Cameroon.  Each center is made up of 8 groups of 5 people.  In August 2008, GHAPE had around 1,000 clients and had approximately $174,000 in loans and cash.

Individuals who wish to apply for a loan must first find four others who are interested in taking out a loan and form a group.   Each group is responsible for one another’s defaults.  This structure protects GHAPE from high risk clients.  Borrowers will choose their group based on other’s risk and potential for success.  Also, they will be careful not to enter into a group with a high risk or unreliable person as they will have to pay GHAPE for the high risk borrower’s losses.  This group formation allows GHAPE to effectively reach out to those who need the loans the most—the poorest of the poor—as GHAPE is able to focus on the needs as opposed to worrying about their financial risk. 

In order to become a GHAPE borrower, among other criteria, training at one of the centers must be completed.  This training involves business skills such as marketing, as well as life skills such as basic health practices.  Further training is required after successfully repaying each loan; as a client completes more loans, the training difficulty level increases.  For more on the steps required to become a GHAPE borrower, go to More Information.

The loan sizes increase as a borrower successfully repays loans.  First and second time borrowers are restricted to 40,000—200,000 FCFA ($86 - $430 US).  Third and fourth time borrowers are able to take out loans between 100,000 and 500,000 FCFA ($215 - $1075 US).  Once borrowers have successfully repaid five or more loans, they are able to take out loans from 500,000 to 1,000,000 FCFA ($1075 -  $2150 US). 

To enhance the quality of life, increased incomes must be spent on the realization of set-goals.  This has necessitated the development of a socio-economic development agenda, which is a pledge by GHAPE borrowers.  They are called the 12 Decisions.

 

The 12 Decisions:

1. We shall educate our children and ensure that we earn to pay for their education .

2. We shall space birth and stop irresponsible sexual activities.  We shall look after our health.

3. We shall embark on preventive measure rather than curative measures

4. We shall grow vegetables all the year round.  We shall eat plenty of them and sell the surplus.  We shall eat and provide our families with balanced diets.

5. We shall build and use at least good pit latrines.

6. We shall refrain from all harmful traditional practices.

7. We shall dispose household refuse in confined places.  We shall live in healthy environments.

8. We shall cultivate a habit of saving in order to undertake bigger investments for higher incomes.

9. We shall be ready to help each other.  If anyone is facing difficulties, we shall all help her or him.

10. We shall all go to help restore discipline in any centre where breach of discipline is made known to us.

11. We shall strive to follow and advance the motto of GHAPE: Service and Development.

12. We shall be Ambassadors for the 12 Decisions.