Sierra Leone: The Impact of the Ebola Crisis on the Microfinance Sector and Stories of Microentrepreneurs' Resilience

This study aims to assess the impact of the Ebola crisis on clients and on microfinance providers in Sierra Leone. The paper analyzes the results of field research undertaken from December 2014 to February 2015 in conjunction with comparative data from both the pre-Ebola crisis period and the crisis period. 84 clients were interviewed every two weeks over 45 days on how the ongoing Ebola crisis was affecting their businesses and households. Nine microfinance providers contributed data to assess the impact of the Ebola crisis on the provision of financial services, as well as to evaluate the health of the national microfinance sector in the wake of the crisis.

The paper further provides key recommendations for different stakeholder groups such as microfinance providers, investors, the donor community, and regulatory bodies.