ODEF Financiera (Honduras)

Organizacion de Desarrollo Empresarial Femenino Financiera S.A. (ODEF) is a private development organization located in San Pedro Sula. It was initially focused on social development activities in rural areas, specifically in sustainable agriculture, environment, and training, all targeted towards women. ODEF started a small credit program called "Mujeres de Negocio" (Women in Business), which was their smallest activity at the time. They later expanded their credit activities to include a product called "Mejoramiento de Vivienda" (Housing Improvement) in rural areas. In order to achieve self-sustainability, ODEF underwent a process of change by expanding their credit services to include men. In 1996, ODEF became a self-sustainable organization. Due to the regulatory law for Private Financial Development Organizations, ODEF decided to create its financial arm called Organización de Desarrollo Empresarial Femenino – Organización Privada de Desarrollo Financiero (ODEF-OPDF). This change took place in January of that year, with ODEF Social becoming the largest shareholder of ODEF-Financiera. ODEF-Financiera served a total of 22,401 clients across 9 departments through 24 offices, with a loan portfolio of L.421.8 million lempiras. ODEF achieved the status of ODEF FINANCIERA S.A. with a more ambitious vision and a more structured institution. Throughout the years, the efforts and achievements of ODEF have been made possible thanks to the vision of the governance members, the teamwork structure, the methodology of the offered products, and the selective customer prospecting.