Poverty is responsible for the deterioration of living conditions: food quality and quantity are insufficient, children do not go to school and are forced to work in order to bring more revenue to the family, hygiene conditions are deteriorated, etc. And these are also the conditions of health protection. Thus, there is no health without fighting against poverty. Since microfinance allows to fight efficiently against poverty, it is an interesting health tool as well. Reciprocally, health ensures better repayment rates of the loans (when faced with the increase of health expenses, the sick borrower is often forced to draw money from the repayment budget), which is a necessary condition so that the Banks for the Poor can operate efficiently.Furthermore, since microfinance allows families to invest in children’s education, it also allows to broaden healthy practices and to prevent principal diseases. Realizing the importance of the subject, some Banks for the Poor even propose programmes for hygiene awareness. A study has shown that 53% of women receiving loans and training from a bank for the poor use contraceptives while 36% of non-beneficiaries do not.
Aids affects mostly the poorest and prevention is essential. The Banks for the Poor can play an important role in the fight against this disease. Through the organization of meetings, information exchanges and prevention sessions, the Banks for the Poor help to overcome common taboos by generating discussions within the community. For example, several microfinance institutions in Subsaharian Africa propose information and education programmes on HIV/AIDS, run by their own staff or in collaboration with specialized organizations. Regular group meetings (microfinance methodology) are generally helpful.
FOCCAS in Uganda integrates training sessions on nutrition and health (particularly on VIH/AIDS) in the weekly meetings between the Bank for the Poor and its clients. This model has had a positive impact on health and nutrition indicators. The combination of credit and education allowed the increase of women’s revenue, improving thus the food safety of the household; it also allowed the improvement of nutrition and of behaviours towards the virus. The programme has shown the importance of the coexistence of financial and education services as well as its role in preventing the transmission of the disease. As far as other institutions are concerned, like FINCA in Uganda, weekly repayment meetings give the opportunity to invite medical institutions that are specialized in the prevention against HIV/AIDS, in health and education. The discussion within the group helps the disease prevention and health promotion policies to be successful.