Madison, WI — As the Caribbean continues to endure the impacts of this year’s devastating hurricane season, WorldWise Microfinance is deepening its commitment to economic resilience through the launch of a new microfinance program in the Dominican Republic. In partnership with Youth Empowered for Transformation (JET), a locally led nonprofit based in Monte Plata, WorldWise will expand access to small loans, financial education, and entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly for women living in poverty.
Located about an hour northeast of Santo Domingo, the Monte Plata region is a predominantly agricultural area that faces recurring climate challenges alongside chronic poverty. Together, WorldWise and JET aim to strengthen families’ capacity to recover from storms, rebuild livelihoods, and create lasting economic opportunity.
The partnership with JET builds upon our successful 2022 partnership with Fundacion Guanin. Fundación Guanín was founded to address the lack of government services for the poor in the community of La Piedra. Fundacion Guanin has helped change the lives of over 200 loan recipients, with 83% of the loan recipients being women. The success of our program in La Piedra encouraged WorldWise Microfinance to explore a second program in the Dominican Republic.
Founded in 2013 and legally incorporated in 2020, JET focuses on food security, microfinance, and community health. Through programs that teach home gardening and animal husbandry, provide small loans and business training, and promote family well-being, JET helps residents build stable, self-sufficient futures.
“The partnership between WorldWise Microfinance and JET was born from a shared vision to empower women to grow small businesses, providing them with the necessary tools to bring additional money into the family and strengthen their communities,” said Tom Eggert, President and Founder of WorldWise Microfinance.
JET’s president, Saturnino Pérez, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying, “We chose to work with WorldWise Microfinance because we share the same conviction: real development begins when people become the protagonists of their own change. At JET, we believe that dignity is not given, it is built.”
This new partnership marks WorldWise Microfinance’s second program in the Dominican Republic and an important milestone in its mission to advance community-based financial empowerment. Since its founding, WorldWise has supported local entrepreneurs across six countries, enabling hundreds of small business owners to lift their families out of poverty through sustainable, locally driven development.
