About Deki

Deki is a registered charity (number 1137047)

Deki works to reduce poverty in the developing world. We do this by helping individuals like you to lend money directly to people who need it.

From as little as £10, you can change a life by helping people in some of the world’s poorest places to start a small business and become financially self-sufficient.

Deki uses carefully-vetted field partners to pass on loans to borrowers in their local currency.

Deki's field partners pass on a minimal interest rate to the borrower, which allows them to cover their running costs ensuring that they are sustainable. Deki monitors this to ensure that the rate is fair and affordable.

Deki does not take any commission out of the loan. We rely on donations to cover running costs.

Deki enables you to easily track what is happening with your money, creating an online community which helps build lasting connections between individuals from across the globe. 

Deki offers a personal approach in every way. Not only do we send money directly to the developing world, but we also allow you to upload photos of yourself and explain why you chose to get involved on your individual profile page.

In return for your investment, you receive regular updates on their borrower’s progress as they use the loan.

Deki endeavours to be as open and transparent as possible at all stages of the lending cycle.  We do this by ensuring that we maintain consistent and clear communication between you (the lender), the field partner and the borrower.

This process will ensure that you are informed and involved as much as possible throughout the lending cycle.

Deki is the UK's first person-to-person microloan website.

The Deki Story

Deki was created by 32 year old Vashti Richards, who founded the organisation in 2008 whilst studying for a degree in Philosophy and Sociology at the University of the West of England.

Vashti was inspired by her father’s sponsoring of a Tibetan refugee, Deki Dolkha, whom she had visited in India and stayed in touch with via email (Deki is pictured here).

After finishing school, poverty and a lack of opportunity saw Deki forced to return to her estranged family in Tibet, with little hope of putting her education to good use.

 

 

Deki’s plight motivated Vashti to help other people in the developing world by providing access to the small sums of money they require to set up small businesses and become financially self-sufficient.

Vashti worked tirelessly to get Deki off the ground and secured funding from her University to do so. Along with covering the cost of the website, UWE’s support helped her fund a trip to Nepal to sign up Deki’s very first field partners.

Her efforts culminated in Deki winning the University’s ‘Best Social Enterprise Award’.

Having completed her studies, Vashti now devotes much of her time to Deki’s battle against poverty- although currently she’s enjoying precious time with her new daughter, born in April this year.