One of the most critical factors impacting Afghanistan’s economic recovery as a whole is limited access to financial services and capital for its people, particularly in districts outside the capital city of Kabul.

Only a handful of institutions are operating in rural areas where 85% of the population resides. In addition, the existing systems are not diverse or large enough to support a wide range of business growth and personal finance needs. For thousands of low-income rural residents, these needs range from funding for housing reconstruction for the large numbers of refugees and recently returned displaced people, to opportunities to engage in income-generating activities for more settled groups.

In March 2004, CHF International launched the Afghanistan Microfinance Initiative (AMI) to bring hope, opportunity and a better life to the people of Bamiyan and Ghazni provinces in central Afghanistan, as well as to urban entrepreneurs in Kabul. AMI has since developed into the independent Afghanistan Microfinance Institution (AMFI), which focuses on providing micro-credit loans to rural clients—many of whom are women—who are engaged in small retail and home-based income-generating activities.