The Role of Microcredit in Conflict and Displacement Mitigation: A Case Study in Cameroon

Abstract

This research, generously supported by the Mellon-MIT Inter-University Program on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Forced Migration, sought to explore the question of whether the revolving fund of a small credit union in rural Cameroon contributed to the mitigation of conflict and displacement in the immediate area. The starting hypothesis was that the process by which loan recipients implemented their borrowed funds caused them to come into contact with people with whom they had major differences or tensions. This contact, it was argued, provided an opportunity to ameliorate the tension and thus stabilize the village.