Many microfinance institutions—particularly those serving the very poor—have witnessed the significant impact that all-too-common health shocks can have on their clients’ ability to repay, save and flourish in their microenterprise endeavors. MAHP provides microfinance institutions with technical support to create a specialized package of integrated health protection solutions that directly respond to this issue.

MFIs participating in MAHP will carry out their own assessment of local needs, health service gaps and potential responses, and create a package of select options that best meet their clients’ needs. The MAHP figure below provides examples of client needs and potential responses from MFIs.

Launched in January 2006, the MAHP initiative will span four years, three continents and five select institutions, while seeking to accomplish the following key objectives:

1. Develop and test the delivery of a package of market-driven and context-specific health protection service options with each participating institution.
2. Design and test new management tools to help participating institutions overcome the challenges of offering integrated services, particularly related to health.
3. Provide solid evidence of the impacts of such services on institutional as well as client performance through carefully controlled research.
   

After the initiative ends in 2009, successful MAHP innovations will be disseminated widely to microfinance institutions around the world.