Rural Development Foundation, Poland  The Rural Development Foundation is an NGO established by the Primate of Poland on June 30, 1999. It came as a result of the merger between the Water Supply Foundation and the Agricultural Foundation. Over the years many different programs have developed to help the rural communities of Poland. The foundation was created by two separate organizations merging. The Water Supply Foundation and The Agricultural Foundation make up what is now the current Rural Development Foundation. " Water Supply Foundation "  This organization was established in 1987 from negotiations between the Catholic Church and the Communist regime. The main goal was to allow foundations to exist because the state had owned all property and existing foundations by law since 1952. The Water Supply Foundation supplied grants and loans to construct water and sewage systems in rural communities. Also, the foundation worked to organize trainings for locals starting small businesses, agrotourism, environmental protection, and learning about democracy. " Agricultural Foundation "  This organization began in 1991. The main goal was to make rural communities less dependent on agriculture by creating other options for income. The foundation made this possible through supplying loans to people so they could become more independent and establish their own work places. The Agricultural Foundation was the only non-governmental organization in the country at the time and supported small water retention projects and reconstructing small hydro-electric power sites. One of the Rural Development Foundation's main objectives is to support non-agricultural business while fighting rural unemployment. the Micro-loan program started in 2003 to give to individuals of rural communities who wish to start their own small business. The maximum amount that could be loaned is 20,000 PLN (4,654.47 USD) and were given free of interest between 24–36 months. To date only a half percent of microloan recipients have not been able to repay their loan. The program reaches Voivodships all over Poland from the north to the south. " Hydroelectric and Wind Power Stations " This part of the loan program lends money to people who are investing in small hydroelectric or wind power stations. This part of the program has been going since 1994 and is the only program of its kind in Poland. Since 2008, the Rural Development Foundation (RDF) partnered with Polish National Bank and Microfinance Center (MFC) to create a Financial Education program for Polish village residents. Throughout Poland’s rural areas, like most of Eastern Europe, the financial literacy rate is extremely low and has often been found to contribute to stagnant low-income levels among families.