Grameen-Jameel Microfinance Limited is the first social businessin the Middle East and North Africa.Grameen-Jameel was established as a company in 2003 and incorporated in 2007 as a joint venture between Grameen Foundation and Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives, a subsidiary of Abdul Latif Jameel Group.The company’s mission is to help alleviate poverty by providing financial and technical assistance to microfinance institutions in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey Region (MENA&T).

Meet Bahiya: preserving life through canned food.

Fifty-year-old mother of two, Bahia Abu Ziad is the sole breadwinner of her household. Since 2000, she has been preparing canned goods from her home in order to support her two children as well as her husband’s five children.

The turning point, according to Bahia, came in 2007 when she applied for a loan from the Lebanese Association for Development (Al Majmoua), a Grameen-Jameel partner in Lebanon. After four consecutive loans that assisted in creating a solid foundation on which to build her business, Bahia was able to not only expand her business by hiring three female workers, but also by establishing a store in which to sell her product.

Learn more about Bahiya and other success stories…

Grameen-Jameel operates in nine countries, with expansion plans to reach more countries in the coming years.