As a global nonprofit dedicated to creating a financially inclusive world that benefits the three billion financially underserved people failed by the world's formal economy, we use social media to discuss the importance of financial inclusion with a wider audience, to engage with partners, and as a means to reach those who need our services.
For more than half a century, Accion has pioneered financial services in 32 countries for those left out – hard working women and men who need someone to give them a chance. Three billion people live in or near poverty. They are left out of, or poorly served by, the world's financial system. They struggle, in part, because they lack the basic financial tools they need to help them manage their day-to-day lives.
We believe that creating a financially inclusive world will have a lasting impact for our clients and their families. Through our Instagram, we work to create a real connection to the people we serve by showing their humanity. We share images that showcase our clients and partners and demonstrate the impact we make in the lives of the tens of millions of people we help. By telling the specific stories of seamstresses, market stall owners, shoemakers, and shop owners from around the world, we bring to life the nearly three billion financially underserved people, their difficulties, and their achievements.
Accion's content showcases the people that we serve and their life stories. In order to gather this content, we work with local partners to identify clients who have used financial services to seize opportunities and build better lives. We travel to their homes and businesses and ask them to tell their stories in their own words.
Our photographic style features candid images of our clients and partners in action. This emphasizes the life and vibrancy of our clients, and ensures that the images are relevant to the story. Our shots are natural, never posed or formal, and that authenticity helps our audience connect to the enterprising, hardworking clients. Many images are taken up close with a wide-angle lens, to give the viewer the sense that they are part of the action.
In the past two years, we've featured more than 150 Accion clients on Instagram. One of those clients is Kenyan salon owner Rose Muyodi. Though her salon in Nairobi was already a success, she knew it needed a renovation. Thanks to Accion partner Kopo Kopo, Rose was able to access more capital, which allowed her to accept digital payments from her customers, making her salon competitive with others in the market.
Another client is Martina. She has been making traditional Peruvian handicrafts since she was a child. The income generated from her handicrafts was not enough to get her children through school. To remedy the situation, Martina opened a hostel that welcomes tourists who wanted to learn about the local Andean culture. Thanks to a loan from Accion's partner, Credinka, she was able to sustain and expand her hostel.
Haigang Zhao also dramatically changed his source of income. Zhao learned about mushroom farming after working as a construction worker in China for several years. Now, mushroom farming has turned into his passion and main source of income. He works with 40 other farmers in a cooperative he started. He thanks Accion partner Grassland for being supportive of his business, despite its seasonality.
2016 results:
In the past 60 days, the number of comments we received per month more than doubled compared to earlier in 2016. Most of the comments from our followers are encouraging, which motivates us to keep doing the work that we do.
