Lendwithcare

Lendwithcare is a social-finance platform operated by CARE International UK. Launched in September 2010, it enables individuals and groups to provide small loans to entrepreneurs in low-income countries. The platform combines online crowdfunding with the local knowledge and operational infrastructure of partner development organisations, many of which are specialist microfinance institutions. The model is designed to support entrepreneurs who use finance to establish or expand small businesses. Local partners assess business ideas or loan applications, approve and initially disburse loans, and help prepare the entrepreneur profiles presented on Lendwithcare. Lenders can browse those profiles, review the business purpose and requested amount, see the proportion already funded, and select the entrepreneurs they wish to support. Once a loan is fully funded, the money raised through the platform reimburses the partner for the initial loan advanced to the entrepreneur. Repayments are then transferred through CARE International UK and credited to lenders' Lendwithcare accounts, allowing them either to withdraw their balance through PayPal or relend it to another entrepreneur. Lendwithcare does not charge lenders interest. Borrowers may nevertheless pay interest to local partner institutions where those charges are needed to cover operating costs. This distinction allows the platform to present lending as a way to recycle capital while recognising that local microfinance organisations require resources to assess borrowers, disburse loans, monitor progress and collect repayments. The service expanded beyond individual lending in 2012, when it introduced group lending tools for organisations such as churches, clubs and other communities. These tools allow groups to lend collectively and follow their combined social impact. In 2021, Lendwithcare added grant funding, giving users the option to make one-off contributions that do not produce repayments but are intended to create direct social and environmental benefits, including reductions in carbon dioxide emissions in relevant projects. By January 2026, the platform reported support for entrepreneurs in 15 countries, including Cambodia, Ecuador, Malawi, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Rwanda, Thailand, Togo, Vietnam, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Zambia. The same reference reported that more than 90,000 individual lenders had supplied over £60 million in loan funding to more than 200,000 small-business owners as of that date. These figures are reported platform totals rather than conventional commercial sales and should be understood in the context of Lendwithcare's charitable and development-finance mission. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lendwithcare, accessed for the January 2026 figures.

Lendwithcare was launched in September 2010 by CARE International UK as an online mechanism for connecting members of the public with entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Its premise was to combine the accessibility of internet-based lending with CARE's international development relationships and the country-level capabilities of local financial and development organisations. The platform's operating process places local partners at the centre of borrower assessment and loan delivery. A participating institution reviews an entrepreneur's proposal or business plan, decides whether the application is suitable, and provides the initial loan requested. The partner also supports the creation of an entrepreneur profile for the Lendwithcare website. Individuals and groups can then select profiles, contribute toward the requested amount and follow progress updates. After a loan reaches its funding target, the funds raised by lenders are transferred to the partner institution to replace the advance already made to the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur repays according to the agreed schedule, and the partner sends those repayments through CARE International UK for credit to participating lenders' online accounts. This structure separates the platform's public-facing fundraising role from local credit assessment and servicing. Lendwithcare does not charge its lenders interest, while some partner institutions charge borrowers interest to meet their operating costs. Lenders can withdraw repaid funds through PayPal or use them to finance another entrepreneur, giving the model a revolving character. In 2012, Lendwithcare broadened participation by introducing group lending. The feature allowed churches, clubs and similar organisations to lend as a collective and track their shared impact rather than requiring every participant to act independently. This helped extend the platform's appeal from individual ethical lenders to organised communities. The service expanded its funding model again in 2021 with the introduction of grants. Unlike loans, grants are one-time contributions and do not return to the lender through scheduled repayments. They were added to support projects where direct grant finance could produce social benefits and, in relevant initiatives, contribute to lower carbon dioxide emissions. Lendwithcare has operated through a network of local development partners and microfinance organisations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The partner network referenced for the service includes organisations such as Advans in Côte d'Ivoire, Akhuwat Foundation in Pakistan, Borvor in Cambodia, Cooperativa Santa Anita and Fundación de Apoyo Comunitario y Social del Ecuador in Ecuador, Deki in Togo, Doselva in Nicaragua, Fundación Paraguaya in Paraguay, MicroLoan Foundation organisations in Malawi and Zambia, Reef Finance in the Palestinian territories, Thanh Hoa Microfinance Institution in Vietnam, U&I Microfinance Bank in Kenya and Umutanguha in Rwanda. The reference material also identifies climate- and development-focused partners including FairClimateFund and SolarAid. By January 2026, Lendwithcare described its reach as covering 15 countries and reported that more than 90,000 individual lenders had provided over £60 million in loans to more than 200,000 small-business owners. Those figures come from the Wikipedia reference and are time-specific platform totals, not audited corporate revenue figures. The brand remains positioned as a CARE-linked social-finance service rather than a conventional commercial bank or investment marketplace.

• 2026

  Reported expansion to 15 operating countries

  [1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  A January 2026 reference reported operations supporting entrepreneurs in 15 countries, more than 90,000 individual lenders, over £60 million in loan funding and more than 200,000 supported small-business owners.

• 2021

  Grant funding introduced

  [1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  Users gained the option to make one-off grants in addition to loans, supporting projects that do not generate repayments.

• 2012

  Group lending feature introduced

  [1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  The platform added collective lending tools for churches, clubs and other groups, including shared impact tracking.

• 2010

  Lendwithcare launches

  [1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  CARE International UK launched Lendwithcare as an online platform for individuals to fund small loans to entrepreneurs in low-income countries.

A charitable, impact-oriented online lending platform that lets individuals and groups direct relatively small amounts of capital to entrepreneurs through local development and microfinance partners.

• Microfinance lending · 2010

  Entrepreneur microloans

  The core service lets lenders select individual entrepreneurs and contribute toward business loans requested through local partner organisations. Partners assess the proposals, initially provide the loans and manage local repayment processes. Once a loan is fully funded on the platform, the collected money reimburses the partner for its advance. Lenders receive repayments without interest from Lendwithcare and may withdraw or relend the returned balance.

• Collective lending · 2012

  Group lending

  Introduced in 2012, group lending allows churches, clubs and other organised communities to participate together. The feature is designed to make it possible for a group to coordinate lending choices, follow the progress of supported entrepreneurs and observe its combined social impact.

• Impact grants · 2021

  Grant funding

  Added in 2021, grant funding gives users a non-repayable alternative to lending. Grants are intended for initiatives where a direct contribution can improve livelihoods or generate environmental benefits, including projects associated with lower carbon dioxide emissions. Unlike loans, they do not return capital to the contributor through borrower repayments.

• 2012Bosnia and Herzegovina ambassador visit

  Bosnia and Herzegovina

  Stacey Dooley travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina in connection with Lendwithcare's development-finance work.

  Source
• 2011Cambodia ambassador visit

  Cambodia

  Deborah Meaden travelled to Cambodia in connection with Lendwithcare, helping present the platform's entrepreneur-finance model and the people it supported.

  Source
• 2011Bosnia and Herzegovina ambassador visit

  Bosnia and Herzegovina

  Alastair Stewart visited CARE's partner Zene za Zene in Bosnia and Herzegovina and met entrepreneurs, including women widowed by the Srebrenica massacre.

  Source

• 2021

  Introduce grant fundingStrategy

  Background

  Some development projects require non-repayable support rather than revolving loan capital, particularly where environmental or social outcomes are the primary objective.

  Action taken

  Lendwithcare added one-off grants alongside its loan products.

  Aftermath

  Users received a second funding route that does not generate repayments but can support livelihood and environmental outcomes.

  Source

• 2012

  Add group lendingProduct launch

  Background

  The original service focused primarily on individual lenders, limiting its natural fit for organised communities that wanted to act collectively.

  Action taken

  The platform introduced group accounts and shared impact tracking for organisations such as churches and clubs.

  Aftermath

  Lendwithcare broadened participation beyond individual users and enabled collective monitoring of lending activity.

  Source

• 2010

  Adopt an online partner-funded microfinance modelStrategy

  Background

  CARE International UK sought to give members of the public a direct way to support entrepreneurs while using local development and microfinance institutions for assessment, disbursement and repayment administration.

  Action taken

  Lendwithcare was established as a platform through which individuals could fund entrepreneur loans and receive repayments through their online accounts.

  Aftermath

  The model became the foundation for the platform's subsequent country expansion and lender network.

  Source

• 2021

  Lendwithcare adds grant funding[1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Users gained the ability to make one-off grants alongside loans. Grants do not generate repayments but are intended to support social and environmental outcomes.

• 2012

  Lendwithcare launches group lending[1]Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The platform introduced a feature allowing churches, clubs and other groups to lend collectively and monitor their shared impact.

1. 1Lendwithcareen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lendwithcare official websitelendwithcare.org