Winners of Round Two of the PPIC

May 6, 2008    

Association Mennonite de Developpement Economique (AMDE), Haiti
In working in the rural areas in Haiti, MEDA was confronted with alarming levels of illiteracy, which had an indirect effect on the performance of community banks. MEDA realized that literacy training was essential in ensuring transparency and efficiency in operations as well as increasing the dignity and confidence of the membership. The CGAP award assisted MEDA in operating its literacy and business skills training program. Numbers and words are taught gradually in the first session, while the second session covers advanced reading/writing and business skills.

CASHPOR Financial & Technical Services Ltd. (CFTS), India
Despite the use of a modified housing index, CFTS experienced difficulty attracting the poorest women - usually casual agricultural laborers - as clients. Due to unpredictable demand for their labor in the fields, these women had trouble sustaining an ongoing income-generating activity. CFTS therefore drew from BRAC experience and designed a first-time loan product for raising semi-scavenging poultry, an activity which fit around clients' work schedules. CFTS also provides technical support on this activity to clients to maximize their chances for success.

Padakhep Manabik Unnyan Kendra (Padakhep), Bangladesh
Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra was established in 1986, and has been running a microfinance program since 1993. In 1998 it started a special program for street children in Dhaka. Children are organized into groups of 15 to 20, where they can both save and access closely supervised loans. CGAP funds were used to expand this program after the completion of a successful pilot.

Uganda Microfinance Union (UMU), Uganda
When it opened its sixth branch in a rural town with no bank, UMU realized that the inability to safely transfer money between rural areas and urban trading centers prevents many financial transactions from taking place and consequently severely limits economic development. It therefore designed a Micro Draft Facility where clients can deposit funds at one branch and withdraw via a check or draft at another branch or commercial bank, opening up possibilities for many more economic activities.

Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES), Togo
After consultation with its target population of poor women, WAGES became aware that requiring preliminary savings before granting loans excluded those who did not have the capacity to save. It therefore created two products, one targeted at returned refugees whose business activities were wiped out when they left, the other at very vulnerable people living in the Lacs district in poor villages with little arable land. Impact studies of the two programs showed significant improvements in client contribution to household incomes, acquisition of assets, food security, and housing conditions.