A Pacific micro-finance institution has this week opened its third office in Tonga, with a new office in Ha'apai.
South Pacific Business Development provides microloans to women in Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.
The chief operating officer for the Microdreams Foundation, which supports SPBD, Polly Kelekis, says between Tongatapu, Vava'u, and Ha'apai, it already has about 4,000 clients.
"In addition to our financial products which include the loans, the savings, insurance products as well, we are launching financial literacy training, and so our clients will have the capacity and the knowledge to understand how to better run their business. So it's empowerment, it's education, in addition to the financial services."
Polly Kelekis says the organisation hopes to open an office in Solomon Islands by the end of the year.
