Microcredit - also called 'microfinance' and 'microlending' - means the extension of small loans to groups of poor people, especially women, for the purpose of investing in income generating activities.

Microcredit has proved to be one of the most effective tools to fight poverty. Nevertheless, AAPI differentiates itself from other micro-credit providers by combining micro-credit with health education. We believe that a poor woman who generates income through micro-credit but does not have adequate access to healthcare for herself, who lacks essential information health and nutrition, and who is unable to send her children to school is still poor. We believe that micro-credit when coupled with essential health and nutrition information has the power to break the cycle of poverty.

By combining loans with education, AAPI has helped many poor people with the means to improve their income and their families' health and nutrition, which has given them a real hope for a better future.

For many reasons: Women and children bear the brunt of the economic hardship in Nigeria, because of their limited access to education and productive resources like land and credit. The best way to improve child survival and welfare is to help mothers start their own businesses and earn income.

Women tend to channel their increased income and savings accumulations directly into their families' basic needs, such as food and medicine purchases. So extra cash in the hands of mothers lifts a family out of poverty faster than increased income in the hands of men.

Besides being astute entrepreneurs, women tend to repay their loans faster than men. It is important to note that AAPI targets women but does not exclude men.