development. They meet on a regular basis, often weekly, and contribute to savings groups. After six months of savings, members can access low interest loans provided to the group as a whole, so if one person has difficulty in repaying, the others in the group will have to cover their repayments. This system aims to reach those who are unable to take out commercial loans due to lack of collateral. The majority of borrowers are women. Loans are paid back within a short period of time and recycled for further business development. See also Parable of the Talents References Further reading Marshall, Katherine and Van Saanen, Marisa, "Development and Faith," The World Bank, 2007, Bussau, David and Mask, Russell, "Christian Microenterprise Development: A Handbook", Paternoster Press, 2003, Microfinance organizations Development charities based in the United States Development charities based in the United Kingdom Christian charities based in the United States Christian charities based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1998