OXUS Development Network

OXUS Development Network is the result of the transfer of the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) Microfinance activities in a dedicated organisation. While Microfinance activities remained integrated into ACTED up to 2004, the emergence of specific regulations in the Microfinance sector in 2005 urged us to create specific tools to take over ACTED Microfinance Programme (MFP) and separate them from ACTED. From a legal point of view, this dedicated structure thus complied with emerging laws and regulations in the countries of operation. The transition phase for the effective transfer is planned to be completed in 2006.

In order to maintain the local but global logic, ACTED decided to create a group, called OXUS Development Network (ODN), based in Europe with specific branches in each country of operation, usually called OXUS followed by the name of the country.

As such, ACTED created both ODN as the global organisation and OXUS Tajikistan as the Tajik branch. As of today, OXUS Kyrgyzstan, OXUS Afghanistan and OXUS Uzbekistan are to become official branches in 2006.

OCUS is a Micro Finance Institution (MFI).

OXUS offers loans to individuals. It concerns the most performing clients of the credit groups and also the clients from more urban areas, for example clients in the city bazaars.

Activities

OXUS is committed to :

• Targeting rural households with no other options for access to credit or deposit facilities, thereby easing their extremely limited liquidity .

• Supporting and helping create self-managed groups of vulnerable families, which operate on the basis of collective responsibility.

• Creating a basis for the setting up of small businesses by providing micro-finance and capacity building support and thereby addresses the high level of rural unemployment.

• Encouraging democratic leadership in groups by providing training for group members and leaders.

• Encouraging client entrepreneurialism and thereby contributing to the individual empowerment of clients, particularly women.

• Achieving and insuring financial sustainability and growth of the MFP.

It currently manages 3 subsidiaries :

• OXUS  Tajikistan in Central Asia
• OXUS  Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia
• OXUS  Afghanistan in Central/South Asia.

These three subsidiaries are divided in branches, subdivided in districts, that determine the different geographical areas of intervention of OXUS.

Depending on the branch characteristics (rural, urban,poverty), quantitative objectives are set by the Technical advisers and precisely followed up by the Board of Directors.

History

OXUS is founded in 21 June 2005 in France. It has initially inherited ACTED Microfinance programmes (Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan).

OXUS Afghanistan really began its activity in early 2006. This transitional year has been a success for OXUS as the Outstanding Loan Balance (OLB) has more than doubled in six months jumping from 900 000 USD to 2 million USD. With this higher level of activity, OXUS gives the possibility at more than 10 000 poor people of Central Asia to launch their own business to improve their living standards.

A new contract between MISFA and OXUS Afghanistan for a total funding of USD 2.08 million for the period July 2006 to June 2007 was signed on the 30th of July 2006.

OCTOPUS

In 2006 OXUS launched, in collaboration with its partner OCTO Technology, an exclusive Loan Tracking Software, for its Microfinance Institutions: OCTOPUS. OCTO Technology is in charge of the design and the follow-up. OCTOPUS allows to record all the loans disbursement and reimbursement operations. It facilitates the reporting and thus the tracking of the ODN activities.

OCTOPUS is an Open Source Software released under LGPL licence.

Reports

• (August 2006 Report)

Contacts

• OXUS Development Network ( France Headquarters)

Marie-Pierre CALEY (president) Arnaud POISSONNIER (director)

33, rue Godot de Mauroy, F-75009 Paris FRANCE

Phone [phone] Fax [phone]

[e-mail]

• OXUS  Tajikistan

Vatansho VATANSHOEV (OXUS Tajikistan CEO)

15, Rajabova Street - 00-992-372-276-010/00-992-372-219-289

• OXUS  Afghanistan

Madhavan ATI (OXUS Afghanistan CTA)

House 403, Daqiqi Watt, District 4, Taimani Kabul - 00-93-70-194-561 (AWCC) / 00-93-799-907 (Roshan)

• OXUS  Kyrgyzstan

Marcel GERRITS (OXUS Kirghizstan CTA)

77 Karl Marx Street - Osh - 00-996-322-257-018

References

• OXUS Official launch announce (French)
• ACTED presenting OXUS as a new project (French)

External links

• OXUS Development Network (Microfinance by ACTED)
• ACTED Home page
• OCTO Technology (OXUS Partner)
• OCTOPUS (Micro Finance Loan Tracking Software)