Calculate Your Zakat. Transform Lives Across Africa.
Fulfill your religious obligation with confidence. Every dollar you give reaches Africa's most vulnerable as clean water, healthcare, education, and more.
1.1 million
People Reached
Across ARCD's full portfolio of development programs, including healthcare.
$7M+
In-Kind Donations
School supplies, gifts, and essentials are provided directly to sponsored children.
100%
Interest-Free
Micro-loans provided through our Qard Hasan model.
What is
Microfinancing?
Microfinancing provides small, accessible loans to individuals who lack access to conventional banking or financial systems; people who have the drive to build something, but not the capital to start.
Why Millions of Entrepreneurs Never Get Started
In Sub-Saharan Africa, millions of women and young people are locked out of economic participation not by a lack of ambition, but by a lack of access. High unemployment, underemployment, and absent banking infrastructure mean that viable businesses never start, and families remain in cycles of dependency. Microfinance breaks that cycle.
A small loan to buy a sewing machine, a set of carpentry tools, or initial stock for a market stall can be the difference between poverty and a sustainable livelihood, and that livelihood then employs others.
Benefits of ARCD's
Microfinance Program
Every microloan ARCD disburses comes with more than capital. It comes with mentorship, training, and a community structure designed to turn one act of giving into lasting, self-sustaining change across Africa.
Interest-Free Lending
Every loan is structured as Qard Hasan with zero percent interest. Entrepreneurs repay only what they borrow, ensuring debt never compounds into a trap that reverses their progress.
Business Mentorship
Capital alone isn't enough. ARCD pairs loans with hands-on business mentorship and financial literacy training so that entrepreneurs can manage, grow, and sustain their ventures.
Vocational Training
The Empowerment Program sponsors individuals in trades training, equipping them with marketable skills before or alongside their loan disbursement.
Women & Youth Focus
ARCD deliberately targets women and youth (the two groups most excluded from African economic life) ensuring that loans reach those whose empowerment creates the greatest community multiplier effect.
Community-Rooted
ARCD operates from five regional offices across Africa. Programs are delivered by teams embedded in local communities building genuine trust and local accountability.
Ripple Effect Growth
A single microloan that starts a business creates jobs for others. New businesses stimulate local markets. ARCD's model is designed to generate cascading economic growth, not isolated outcomes.
HOW MICROFINANCING CREATES
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA
A single loan does not end at the borrower. It moves through a community — creating employment, raising household income, and building the kind of economic foundation that makes external aid unnecessary. This is the chain your donation sets in motion.
1
Access to Capital Unlocks Entrepreneurship
High rates of unemployment and underemployment across Africa aren't a reflection of insufficient effort. They reflect a lack of access to start-up capital. A microloan as small as a few hundred dollars enables an aspiring entrepreneur to purchase tools, materials, or initial inventory.
2
New Businesses Create Local Jobs
Each new venture funded by a microloan becomes a node of employment generation. ARCD tracks new businesses started, businesses expanded, and individuals employed or self-employed as core program outputs.
3
Household Income Rises, Stability Follows
Increased household income allows families to afford essentials like meals, education, and healthcare, reducing the need for unsafe labor and keeping children in school.
4
Women & Youth Become Economic Contributors
By empowering women and youth, ARCD ensures they reinvest in their communities, becoming role models and employers.
5
Self-Reliant Local Economies Reduce Aid Dependency
ARCD's microfinance program fosters self-reliant economies. As businesses grow and circulate income locally, reliance on external aid diminishes.
I knew the water was not clean. But it was the only water there was.
Your Gift Funds a Business that Feeds Many Families.
ARCD's microfinance program turns a single donation into an interest-free loan for an African entrepreneur, who starts a business, employs others, and builds lasting self-reliance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about donations, programs, and how you can get involved.
1
What is ARCD’s Microfinance Program?
ARCD’s Microfinance Program provides interest-free microloans, known as Qard Hasan, to aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa. These loans help individuals start or grow small businesses, build stable income, and move their families toward self-reliance.
2
Are the loans really interest-free?
Yes. Every loan is structured with zero percent interest. Entrepreneurs repay only the amount they borrow, ensuring the loan supports their growth without creating a cycle of debt.
3
Who does the program support?
The program focuses especially on women, youth, and underserved community members who have the skills, ambition, or business idea but lack access to traditional banking or start-up capital
4
How does my donation help?
Your donation helps fund a small business loan for an entrepreneur. That loan can help them buy tools, stock, equipment, or materials needed to start earning income, support their family, and even create jobs for others.
5
Why is microfinance important for long-term change?
Microfinance does more than meet an immediate need. It helps families build sustainable livelihoods, increases household income, supports local businesses, and reduces long-term dependency on aid.
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