Who We Are
Our Origin
Antoinette “Toni” Temporiti was born and raised on The Hill in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1975, she joined the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in O’Fallon.
In 2003, Sr. Toni Temporiti took a sabbatical, camping overland over 8 months from Cairo to Cape Town to Africa. On this trip, Sr. Toni met local women who asked where would they get food for their families; would their children be able to go to school; and what if they or their children got sick?
Upon her return to St. Louis, while eating at a restaurant in Clayton, Sr. Toni realized that for the cost of her lunch, a woman in Africa could get a small loan (microfinancing) to help her business, and have an answer to those questions.
In November 2006, Sr. Toni attended a microcredit summit in Nova Scotia and met Ingrid Munro, founder of Jamii Bora Trust, and Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, both of whom filled her with ideas. With the help of friends and colleagues, MicroFinancing Partners in Africa was founded and received 501c3 certification in December 2006.
Our Growth
Supported by an enthusiastic board, donors, and communities of religious sisters, Sr. Toni formalized partnerships with Jamii Bora in Kenya and with Caritas MADDO in Uganda, MPA’s first two partners.
MPA grew to include a small but mighty group of volunteers, and in 2009 hired a part-time Executive Director, Heather Cammarata.
MPA has partnered with more and more grassroots organizations since then, and has hired more part-timers with distinct expertise. In 2020, MPA hired our first full-time staffer, Prim Mungwari, as our Program and Grants Manager.
2006
MPA is born! We are officially a 501c3 public charity EIN 86-1171133.
2009
MPA partners with Caritas MADDO in Uganda to increase living loans of cows in the Cow Project.
2013
MPA partners with CPS Sisters in Kenya, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2018
MPA begins Water Program with the distribution of water filters and training in Kenya and Tanzania.
2020
MPA adds 2 partners serving refugee populations, 2 new small-loan partners and expands into Zambia and Zimbabwe.
2007
MPA partners with Jamii Bora Trust in Kenya to bolster their small loan program.
2010
MPA partners with the Bukoba Women’s Empowerment Association (BUWEA) in Tanzania, supporting their revolving loan fund and soy project.
2014
MPA starts the Safe Woman Program with the Piglet Project for post-fistula women.
The Future
We look forward to adding additional microfinance programs in the coming years.
Our Mission
By providing grants for the strengthening and expansion of microfinancing programs in Africa, MPA empowers those living in extreme poverty to lift themselves up with dignity through access to services and education.
Values and Beliefs
We believe that people have the right, the will, and the capacity to direct their own future. MPA is committed to these values:
• Transparency • Not afraid to fail • Integrity • Open minded • Culturally competent • Evidence based best practices • We measure our impact • UN Millennium Development Goals
Vision
When people can provide for their needs both within their families and within their communities, peace can happen.
Where We Work
Meet The Team
Toni Temporiti, CPPS, PhD, our Founder & Program Director, returned to St. Louis from an 8 month sabbatical that took her from Cairo to Capetown. The conversations along the way with the village women inspired her to research how she could. READ OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER
MPA is equipped with a talented staff of individuals who help advance the mission and vision of all microfinance efforts in Africa. Learn more about our team and connect to make an impact with us today. MEET THE STAFF
To help advance the projects MPA is involved with, we thrive on the vision and support our board of directors offers. MEET THE BOARD