Micro-enterprise lending institutions, using a peer-lending approach, have spread from rural villages in Bangladesh to locales all over the world. These micro-lending institutions grant credit to the poor who have little or no access to formal sources of investment capital. This thesis explores key issues in micro-lending (accessibility, sustainability, development impact and the role of government) and defines an analytical framework to assess the micro-lending operations of the Partnership for Rural Development (PARD)--started in July 1991 by the Calmeadow Foundation and the Royal Bank - of Lockeport, Nova Scotia. A complete assessment of the PARD program is premature but from this preliminary study it is clear the PARD program can provide valuable lessons for government and others involved in economic development.