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Assessment of MFI Client Poverty Levels |
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The PAT has
been used to assess the poverty levels of clients of seven MFIs.
These include:
- SHARE
(Society for Helping, Awakening Rural Poor through Education),
India
- ACODEP
(Asociación de Consultores para el Desarrollo de la Pequeña),
Nicaragua
- KWFT
(The Kenya Women Finance Trust), Kenya
- OTIV-Desjardins,
Madagascar
- SEF
(Small Enterprise Foundation), South Africa
- Nirdhan
Utthan Bank Ltd.
(NUBL), Nepal
- Compartamos,
Mexico
The assessed
MFIs have diverse missions. SHARE, Nirdhan, and SEF have an explicit
focus on serving the poorest. The assessments do indicate that
all three MFIs are successful in reaching significant numbers
of clients in the bottom third of the population in very poor
communities. ACODEP and Compartamos, on the other hand have a
mission to serve a broader group of those who are not served through
formal financial systems. Hence while their depth of outreach
is not as great as the first three, their clientele do reflect
the general population where they operate, most of whom have no
access to formal sources of finance. KWFT’s mission is to
provide credit to female entrepreneurs. Since most female entrepreneurs
are already engaged in operating economic enterprises, they do
tend not to be amongst the poorest. While KWFT therefore reaches
fewer numbers of the poorest women, it is surprising that they
reach any in this category at all. The study on OTIV analyzed
economic levels of conventional OTIV credit unions, as well as
the Caisses Féminines, which was created to serve
poor women. The assessment indicates that while conventional OTIV
clients are generally better off, Caisses Féminines clients
are amongst the poorest women.
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