CARE International is one of the largest and most respected aid and development organisations in the world. Last year we worked in more than 70 countries and helped more than 59 million people. Click here to read more about CARE’s work.

2. Why is lendwithcare in association with The Co-operative?

We are very proud to be working in partnership with The Co-operative which, across its family of businesses, does so much to help tackle global poverty, with over a million people benefiting from its work each year. The partnership will enable us to scale up the profile of lendwithcare.org and thus the number of people lending in the UK and benefiting in the developing world.

3. Why does lendwithcare only feature entrepreneurs from Togo, Benin Cambodia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Philippines?

Lendwithcare.org launched under a year ago and is serving entrepreneurs in Togo and Benin Cambodia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Philippines. CARE has long established working relationships with the Microfinance Institutions in these countries making them the ideal place to start. We intend to bring more countries on board in the months ahead, each time working with our trusted and established network of Microfinance Institutions in each region. Keep up to date with our exciting plans through the lendwithcare.org newsletters. Just visit your account and set your preferences to receive the lendwithcare newsletter.

Loans and Lending

4. Are my payment details safe?

Yes, Lendwithcare.org uses external secure websites to manage payment to and from your lendwithcare.org account. All your financial details are processed securely with "Secure Hosting" or PayPal. Also see FAQ 17.

5. Will I get the money that I lend repaid to me?

Yes, the money that you lend to each entrepreneur will get paid back to you through instalments. Each loan is accompanied by a repayment schedule; this schedule is a guide to planned repayments. Despite the best support and training provided by the Microfinance Institution (MFI) managing the loan, defaults can still occur. Default rates are very low, less than 2%. So, there is a small possibility that the entrepreneur won’t be able to pay back all or part of your loan, in which case you will not receive the affected repayments. If this happens, we will let you know the reason why the entrepreneur defaulted. Loans are generally provided by many lenders so in the event of a rare default, the loss to a single lender is usually quite small.

See also FAQ 13 Do currency exchange rates effect the loan repayments?

6. How long will it take for the loan to be fully repaid?

The average loan repayment schedule is around 12 months. Each loan is accompanied by a loan schedule on the entrepreneur detail page.

7. Does the entrepreneur receive 100% of their loan request?

Yes the entrepreneur receives 100% of the loan that they requested; no administrative charges are deducted from the entrepreneur’s loan.

8. How do you ensure that the entrepreneur gets their original loan request given that exchange rates move daily?

CARE works with Microfinance Institutions in US Dollars who then lend to entrepreneurs in local currencies. Loans to entrepreneurs therefore have to be translated from GB Pounds and this is done using a GB Pounds to US Dollar rate that moves daily.

To cover any exchange differences between when the loan is put on the site and then sent abroad, and to ensure that the MFI and then the entrepreneur receives their full loan request, there is a 10% buffer on the loan to cover exchange rate fluctuations.

Any part of the buffer that is not absorbed by the exchange rate fluctuations between the loan being raised and the loan being sent abroad is repaid to you. This is the first repayment on the repayment schedule. Because exchange rates can go up or down, this repayment may be larger or smaller than the scheduled amount.

9. Who bears the exchange rate risk?

You the lender bears the exchange rate risk – due to fluctuations in exchange rates, repayments to you may be more or less than scheduled. See also FAQ 8, FAQ 13 and FAQ 27.

10. How is my loan passed on to the entrepreneur?

Once the loan has been fully funded, CARE International UK will transfer funds to the microfinance institution (MFI). The relationship between CARE and the MFIs used is a long-standing and successful one.

The support, training and loan to the entrepreneur would have already been agreed by the MFI in advance of the loan being posted on the lendwithcare.org website. By doing this the entrepreneur’s plans can proceed without delay with the added benefit that all loans posted are effectively pre-accessed for viability regardless of future funding through lendwithcare.org. This however is not the primary reasons for agreeing a loan in advance of posting on the website. The MFIs’ roles are not only to arrange small loans but to help entrepreneurs by supplying ongoing support and initial business training when needed. The resources and demand for MFIs services outstrips supply and this is where you make a difference. When you provide a loan you free up the vital financial resources of the MFI, which in turn allows them to provide another loan to another entrepreneur in need. Importantly, the support provided by the MFI does continue throughout the lifecycle of the loan that you and others have now supplied.

11. Do I get paid interest on the loans?

No, interest is not paid to you on the loans that you provide. Lenders do not receive interest on their loans because lendwithcare.org does not charge interest to our MFI partners. However, MFI’s do charge interest to their clients to in order to cover operational costs. When we select our MFI partners, though, they have to meet various criteria, including charging a reasonable and fair interest rate relevant to the local context.

The interest free capital they receive from lendwithcare.org enables them to either lend to slightly poorer clients than they might otherwise, or to move into other more distant areas. For example, in Togo our MFI partner is able to operate in more isolated rural areas which are more expensive for them to run due to the logistics of receiving applications and collecting repayments. In some cases, such as the Philippines, our MFI partners have actually passed on the benefits of receiving interest free capital from lendwithcare.org to their clients through lower interest rates.

Our MFI partners also receive a yearly grant from lendwithcare.org which covers the additional costs they have to incur in photographing their clients, writing up information for the lendwithcare.org system and generally administering repayments to lenders.

12. Does CARE International charge interest on loans?

CARE International does not charge interest on the loans made to entrepreneurs through lendwithcare.org.

13. Do currency exchange rates affect loan repayments?

Yes, currency exchange rates do affect the value of the loan repayments. Loans provided by you are ultimately provided to entrepreneurs in local currencies. Equally, repayments to you are translated back into GB pounds using the prevailing exchange rate. Exchange rates fluctuate over time so the monthly instalment you receive in GB Pounds will differ slightly to that forecast on the repayment schedule that is attached to each entrepreneur. Therefore, you will see fluctuations in repayment values; these will sometimes be more and sometimes less than the forecast repayment. See also FAQ’s 8 and 9.

14. I have credit in my account, how do I lend it?

Choose an entrepreneur from the entrepreneur section of the website, select the amount you wish to lend to them and click on the ‘Lend now’ button. This will add the loan to your basket. You are able to add multiple loans to your basket before ‘checking-out’.

15. I don’t have enough / any credit in my lendwithcare.org account.

If you do not have any or enough credit to complete the checkout of your loans, you will be automatically directed to PayPal where you can credit your lendwithcare.org account with the required amount. Once done, the checkout process will continue to completion until you are successfully funding the entrepreneurs that you chose to support.

16. Can I make a loan without having a lendwithcare.org account?

No, you have to register to provide loans to entrepreneurs through lendwithcare.org. Setting up an account is straightforward and requires only basic information to get you started. Click here to register with lendwithcare.org and start lending today.

17. Do I need to provide any financial details when registering to use lendwithcare.org?

No, PayPal is used to credit and debit funds from your lendwithcare.org account so all financial details are managed securely and separately by PayPal.

18. Do I have to give an additional donation to CARE International?

There are points through the website where you can extend your support to CARE’s work through a donation. Making a donation is entirely voluntary and is not essential to provide loans to entrepreneurs.

19. Once the loan is repaid and the money belongs to me, am I free to make an absolute gift of this money to CARE International?

There are points throughout the website where you can extend your support to CARE's work through a donation. Making a donation is entirely voluntary and there is no objection to your receiving repayment of the loans and keeping the money yourself. Alternatively, you can, given that the money is entirely yours, make a separate donation to CARE which would be much appreciated.

20. Where do my donations to CARE go?

Donations to CARE International are used to fund our vital work to alleviate poverty around the world. Read more about the work your donations make possible here.

21. Will I receive progress updates once the entrepreneur’s loan has been fully funded?

Each entrepreneur is encouraged to provide updates on their progress. However, providing updates is not insisted upon and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

22. Can I lend less than £15?

The minimum transaction is £15; other higher amounts are available through the drop down menu provided when making a loan. There is however an exception to the £15 minimum, this happens when a loan is almost complete and the remaining sum is less than £15. If this happens then select ‘Finish’ from the drop-down menu and your transaction value will equal the remainder of the loan.

23. Can I lend more than £15?

Yes, the drop-down menu offers increasing values up to the complete remaining loan value. To lend the entire remaining loan amount select “Finish” from the drop down menu.

24. Will I get a receipt for my loan?

Shortly after you’ve made a loan to an entrepreneur you will receive a lendwithcare.org receipt email. If you have made multiple loans then these will all appear in the same receipt email.

When you use PayPal to credit your lendwithcare.org account you will receive a PayPal confirmation email directly from PayPal.

25. Why are loans not in nice round numbers?

Loans originate in the developing country of the entrepreneur. The loan amount agreed with the entrepreneur is in a currency that can be used locally. An exchange rate has to be applied to the loan amount before it appears on the lendwithcare.org website. Because of this the numbers are not rounded or whole.

26. Can I lend to the same entrepreneur more than once?

Yes, the same entrepreneur may take out a further loan once she has paid back the first one. However, this will appear as a separate loan on the lendwithcare.org website.

27. Why are there so few progress updates for my entrepreneur?

Updates are not obligatory. We encourage MFIs and entrepreneurs to provide updates to lendwithcare.org as often as they can. However, finding time from the days work in a developing country can be difficult for many.

28. Why is the first repayment amount on the schedule different to the subsequent payments?

To cover exchange rate fluctuations between when the loan is first placed on the site and the loan being fulfilled and sent abroad, a 10% buffer is added to the loan being sought by the entrepreneur. The loan amount on the lendwithcare.org website includes this 10% buffer.

The 10% buffer is repaid to you, the lender, as the first repayment on the repayment schedule. This repayment may have increased or decreased against the amount scheduled due to fluctuations in the exchange rate.

The remaining instalments on the repayment schedule are the repayments of the loan provided to the Entrepreneur.

By managing loans in this way, the entrepreneur receives their full loan request and is guarded by you and other lenders from currency exchange rate fluctuations that could damage the entrepreneur’s plans entirely and lead them into difficulty.

29. Can I contact or visit entrepreneur’s I am supporting?

Unfortunately it is not possible for us to facilitate contacting or visiting entrepreneurs that you are supporting.

30. I would like a loan from lendwithcare

lendwithcare.org does not make loans directly to individuals; we only work through Microfinance Institutions. Click here to see full details of the MFIs that we currently work with through lendwithcare.org.

Payment

31. Do I have to use PayPal?

You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a loan to lendwithcare.org. However, if you want to withdraw credit from your lendwithcare.org account then you will need to set up a PayPal account to do so.

32. Can I pay with a credit card?

Yes, you can pay by credit card. However, should you wish to withdraw your funds in future you will need a Paypal account to do this. See FAQ 31.

33. Can I pay by cheque?

Unfortunately we only accept online payments to lendwithcare. This is to ensure our overheads remain as low as possible.

34. Can I deposit funds into my account and lend them later?

Yes, you can credit your lendwithcare account at anytime, leaving you ready to lend.

35. When I pay through PayPal, is PayPal taking a fee?

PayPal charges CARE International a fee for receiving your payment. These fees are not part of the loan amounts. CARE International does not profit from the loans transacted on lendwithcare.org. All transactional fees are paid for from CARE’s funds, which are generated through generous donations.

Microfinance

36. What is microfinance?

Microfinance is the process of providing financial services, including making small loans to people who would not otherwise have access to savings or credit facilities. For full information on how Microfinance makes a difference in the developing world, click here.

37. What is an MFI?

An MFI is an organisation, which provides microfinance services (savings, credit, insurance and money transfers) to entrepreneurs who would not otherwise have access to savings and credit facilities.

38. How do you choose which MFIs to work with?

MFIs on the lendwithcare website have longstanding relationships with CARE International. They are established and independent organisations in their own right. Read more about the MFIs partnering with lendwithcare.org

CARE International is one of the foremost organisations in the world working with microfinance – read more about microfinance and CARE.

Lendwithcare launched in April 2010. To be as effective as possible we are introducing a small number of countries (Togo, Benin, Cambodia & Philippines) and MFIs at a time. Our service will continue to grow and will extend in the months ahead to the many different regions of the world that CARE reaches.

39. Do MFIs charge interest on the loans?

Yes, they do. MFIs like any other organisation have costs they must cover to stay operational. Interest charged by MFIs is far less than interest charged by other local providers, such as private moneylenders. Read more on interest charges here.

40. I am an MFI and I would like to join lendwithcare

Please email khan@careinternational.org for further information. In your email, please state whether you already have a relationship with a CARE International Country Office.

My Account

41. How do I create a lendwithcare account?

Creating a lendwithcare account is straightforward and there’s no cost to registration. At the top of the homepage there is an option to ‘Register’. Click this link and follow the simple instructions that will guide you through the registration process.

42. How do I change the email address on my lendwithcare.org account?

Click ‘My Account’ from the primary navigation on any page, you’ll find it just off to the right next to the CARE logo. If you are not signed in you’ll be prompted to at this point. The next stage is to select ‘My Details’ from the options in the centre of the page or from the sidebar navigation to the right. Once you are on the “My Details’ page, the fields for changing your email address are clearly visible. Make your changes and click submit at the bottom of the page to complete the process.

Note that your email address is required when you sign-in to lendwithcare.org so remember that you’ve changed it when you next sign-in!

43. I forgot my password, how do I change it?

If you arrive at the sign-in page but have forgotten your password, simply click on the ‘Forgotten password’ link provided and enter your email address. You will be sent an email with a link to reset your password.

44. How do I unsubscribe from the lendwithcare.org newsletter?

Email management can be handled by visiting My Account followed by My Details. At the bottom of My Details page the email options can be clearly seen.

Unsubscribing from either the lendwithcare.org or CARE International newsletter can be done by un-ticking the tick box alongside the relevant newsletter on the ‘My Details’ within ‘My Account’. There will also be an unsubscribe link in any emails you receive.

45. How do I upload a new image for my profile?

To upload a new profile image, go to your ‘My Site Profile’ page, which can be found in ‘My Account’. You must be registered and logged in to see these pages.

Select a picture from your computer by clicking on the ‘Browse’ button beside “1. Select picture”. The file name will then appear in the text field beside the browse button once you have chosen the new image. Once done, click on the ‘Upload’ button within step 2.

Your new image will then appear underneath the small heading; ‘Your current photo:’. If you are happy with this image, please click on the link beside it ‘Use this as my profile picture’. Your new image will now be showing live in your profile.

Your image file must be no larger than 2Mb. File formats accepted are Jpeg, Gif and Png.

46. How can I make my account anonymous?

Go to your ‘My Site Profile’ page within ‘My Account’. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to ‘Site profile display’. Here you will be able set how you are displayed across the site. The options are:

First name only
Full name
Display as ‘Anonymous’

47. Where can I view my transaction history?

At the top of your ‘My Credit’ page within the ‘My Account’ section, you will have a list of your latest transactions. To view all transactions just click on the ‘View all transactions’ link.

48. How do I view the entrepreneurs in my portfolio?

A list of all the entrepreneurs you have lent to is displayed in the ‘My Loans’ section of ‘My Account’. To view the entrepreneur’s details and repayment schedule, click either on their image or on the ‘more info’ link.

49. How do I close my lendwithcare.org account?

If you would like to close your lendwithcare.org account, please contact us via any of the methods on the ‘Contact Us’ page and we’ll be happy to help.

50. What happens to my credit if I don’t access the lendwithcare.org website?

Providing that all loans have been repaid to you and that you have not signed-in to your lendwithcare.org account for a period of 12 months, your account will be considered inactive. If this happens then you will be emailed to inform you that your account credit will become a donation to CARE and will be used in CARE’s global work to alleviate poverty. Three emails will be sent to you at 12, 13 and 14 months of consecutive account inactivity before your credits become a donation. In the event that this does happen then you will be sent a receipt and a kind thank you for the donation. See terms of use for further detail.

Withdrawals

51. How do I withdraw credit from my lendwithcare.org account?

To withdraw all or part of your lendwithcare.org credit, visit My Account > My Credit, where you can click on the ‘Withdraw credit from my account’ link then enter the amount you’d like to withdraw as well as your PayPal email address.

Before confirming your withdrawal request we will ask you if you would be kind enough to donate some of your credit to CARE International UK. Withdrawn credits will appear in your PayPal account within 7-10 working days.

52. Do I need a PayPal account to withdraw my credit?

Yes you need a PayPal account to withdraw any lendwithcare.org credit. Click here to visit PayPal to set-up an account with them.

53. Will PayPal charge me a fee when I withdraw my lendwithcare.org credit?

No, PayPal does not charge you a fee for transferring your credit from lendwithcare.org account.

Gift Vouchers

54. How do I purchase a gift voucher?

Our vouchers are a fantastic way of giving an usual gift, just click on the gift voucher link on the homepage or go to the ‘My Credit’ section of ‘My Account’.

Select an amount and a voucher design from the options provided. You will then need to decide whether you want to send the voucher to the recipient immediately via email or print a paper copy the voucher to give in person or send through the post.

If you choose to send via email, the recipient’s name and email address is required.

If you wish to print and not send by email, you can choose to leave the voucher blank, for you to fill it out once printed, or have their name and a message printed on to the voucher, the choice is yours.

Once you have agreed to our gift voucher terms, your gift voucher will be added to your ‘basket’ ready for you to ‘checkout’.

If you feel that you would like to change the gift voucher details then delete the voucher in your basket and start again.

55. How do I print the gift vouchers I have purchased?

Once you have bought a gift voucher, it will be available to view and download for printing within the ‘My Gift Vouchers’ section of ‘My Account’. Even if you elected to send the gift voucher via email, a copy of the voucher will be stored here.

56. How do I know if someone has used the gift voucher I bought and sent to them?

In the ‘My Gift Vouchers’ section of ‘My Account’, you can see all the gift vouchers you have bought, and if they have been redeemed or not.

57. What if I know the recipient won’t use the gift voucher before it expires?

If this is the case, you can redeem the gift voucher yourself by entering in the redemption code and the sender’s email address, which you can get from your ‘My Gift Vouchers’ page within ‘My Account’.

58. Can I purchase more than one gift voucher?

Yes, although you will have to create and add each one of them to your basket as separate items.

59. Do gift vouchers expire?

Gift vouchers expire one year from the date of purchase.

60. What happens to the money from expired gift vouchers?

Any expired Gift Voucher or unused portion thereof will be automatically converted into a donation to CARE on the Expiration Date. see terms of use.

61. Will the person who receives my gift voucher be able to choose which entrepreneurs to lend to?

Yes, they can choose to lend to whichever entrepreneur they like.

Miscellaneous

62. I would like to work for lendwithcare.org or CARE International UK

All vacancies, including volunteering opportunities are advertised on CARE International’s main website

63. How do I contact a person at lendwithcare.org?

The best way to contact us is by using this email address info@lendwithcare.org. If you would like to speak to someone then please call during office hours (9:00 - 5:00 GMT, Monday to Friday) 0207 091 6073

FAQs

Loans and Lending

Payment

Microfinance

My Account

Withdrawals

Gift Vouchers

Miscellaneous

Loans and Lending

Payment

Microfinance

My Account

Withdrawals

Gift Vouchers

Miscellaneous

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