The Orisa CDC Community Investment Program is a bold initiative that will spur entrepreneurship within the Orisa Community Nigeria, by providing business seed loans to traditionalists to either start or expand their business. The program will first be implemented in Nigeria but eventually will expand to other developing countries with concentrations of Orisa worshippers such as Brazil, Cuba, etc. The program will serve individuals who can start or expand a small business for as little as $200 to $500 and who traditionally are not served by lending institutions due to the size of the desired loans and credit worthiness of the prospective borrowers.

The program will be funded primarily by individuals in the USA who will lend to the Community Investment fund and in return receive both a social return and a financial return on money lent.  Nigerian borrowers will be charged approximately 10% interest (local bank rates are between 18 and 24 percent), and of this interest revenue, 50% of it will go to lenders, 25% will cover administrative expenses and 25% will fund a loss reserve fund which with time will help offset potential loan defaults.

How to Participate

Socially Responsible Investing

Orisa CDC Community Investment Program will raise capital by accepting investments from individuals and organizations interested in enabling Orisa Worshippers in Nigeria to move from destituteness to economic self-sufficiency.  Lenders will commit a minimum of $300 for two years.

Contributors include will include individuals, faith-based organizations, corporations, foundations, non-profit organizations, foundations, banks and other institutions with investment capital.

An investment in the Orisa CDC Community Investment Program will provide opportunity to Orisa worshippers – mainly women and families – to become economically independent as a result of their businesses, jobs, education, and housing!

The Orisa CDC Capital Campaign

Any profit made on the fund will go into the Orisa CDC Capital Campaign, which is our initiative to acquire a community owned facility. So, in essence, this initiative will benefit and empower Orisa communities in both the USA and Nigeria!

Program Administration

The Orisa CDC Community Investment Fund will engage in solidarity lending, which is a lending practice in which individuals that are members of the same community will form small groups whose members will pay into a lending fund and consequently be able to borrow 3 times the amount they paid into the fund up to a maximum loan amount of $750, of which two thirds or $500 is an outright loan from the Orisa CDC Community Investment Program.

The Orisa CDC will lend to the community fund and the fund administrators will lend to its individual members and use a combination of peer pressure and culturally acceptable collection techniques to ensure repayment.  Loans will be self-amortizing for a 12-24 month term with each loan payment containing both interest and principal repayment.