About 80% of the Third World population suffers from extreme poverty. In the Philippines, while poverty incidence has seen a reduction in recent years, the number of poor people has remained considerable, with more than the third of the 78 million Filipinos living below the poverty line.

With the broad vision of helping alleviate poverty in the country, Ahon Sa Hirap, Inc., (ASHI) was established. Ahon Sa Hirap literally means "to rise above poverty".

ASHI uses the Grameeen Bank Approach (GBA) founded by Professor Muhammad Yunus of the Economics Department of the Chittagong University, Bangladesh. Through this approach, ASHI provides the poorest women direct access to non-collateralized loan funds to help them increase their income and employment opportunities without passing through the rigid requirements of the traditional lending agency like the banks.

ASHI started in January 1989 as an action-research project led by the professor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Initially funding came from Asia Pacific Development Center (APDC) based in Malaysia.

Two years after its inception, ASHI was registered under Security and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO). NGO status has allowed ASHI to enter into contract and loan arrangements, as well as to receive grants and donations from various local and international agencies.

ASHI faced a major crisis in 1994 with 62% of its members in default. Rather than closing, ASHI Board appointed its President, Mila Mercado-Bunker, as the Executive Trustee to taken up the challenge of reconstructing the program. CASHPOR and Grameen Trust provided technical assistance in the rehabilitation and staff training. By 1995, repayment rates had risen above 97% allowing ASHI to resume vigorous membership expansion in 1998.

As of August 2007, ASHI grew to 21 branches situated in the provinces of Laguna, Rizal, in South of Metro Manila and Antique in the Visayas Region. With the total outreach of 22,052 members that have received loans amounting to 213,875,183.203 since 1989, ASHI have maintained a notable achievement of 2.22% portfolio at risk.