Al Amal Microfinance Progam/ Social Development Foundation (SDF) joins Sanabel as the second member from Sudan and the 61st member of the Network.

The SDF was established in 1997 as a government mechanism with the mission “To improve the livelihood of poor population through establishment of equitable pro-poor policies, approaches and interventions”

The Sanabel’s 5th Annual Conference, “Advancing Arab Microfinance: Greater Social Impact through Inclusive Financial Services”, was held in Gammarth, Tunisia May 6th – 8th, 2008.  This year’s conference was the largest ever attended by over 550 participants and featuring 65 speakers from the region and from around the globe.  As the largest gathering microfinance gathering in the Arab world, Sanabel’s conferences present a unique networking opportunity.  This year’s conference attracted a substantially increased number of participants from the international financial sector as well as regulators and government officials from the Arab region.  Their presence demonstrates both the interest and growing strength of microfinance in the region.

 Sanabel is pleased to announce that FINCA Jordan has joined the network as an affiliate member. 

The Association of Sohag Community Development and Caring the Children with Special Needs ( SCDA) joined Sanabel as an affiliate member.
Its mission is to improve the community’s conditions through improving the standard of living for all categories; families with limited incomes, youth, women, and children especially those with special needs.

The application of the First Microfinance Foundation Egypt has been accepted by Sanabel’s board of directors. Accordingly, the network has a total of nineteen MFIs from Egypt.