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| Volume 4, Issue 1: May 2006 | ||||
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In This Issue Panel discussion on the paper Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Child Survival, Reproductive Health, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest EntrepreneursA
Billion to Gain Global Microcredit Summit 2006 Archived Issues Vol 4 Iss 1 May '06 E-News Information |
A panel discussion on the paper Building Better Lives: Sustainable Integration of Microfinance with Education in Child Survival, Reproductive Health, and HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Poorest EntrepreneursRemarks by Neisa Vásquez:
Thanks. First, I would like to talk about [Chris Dunford’s] concise description of the three forms in which these services are delivered: the linked, parallel, and unified. This classification helps us better understand the way in which these microfinance development institutions work and to analyze available information in greater depth. The document offers realistic and effective evidence of the self-sustained, unified model run by Freedom From Hunger and focusing on its virtues and challenges; on the other hand, it seems that it does not pay attention to the quality of services offered when comparing the unified model and the linked delivery models. The purpose of my presentation is to share with you what Pro Mujer is doing to address the challenges regarding sustained integration and efficiency between financial systems and human development, also called non-financial services. The question is why are we interested in offering integrated services defined as the combination of financial services and human development services. For Pro Mujer the reasons for providing these integrated services are our vision and our mission, but first and foremost, the target population we are indebted to. We work with women who have very few opportunities and multiple needs in different areas. For them, financial services are only one piece of the puzzle. We would also like to begin working with juvenile associations and offer our integrated services to teenagers over 14. In addition, we have computer centers where we provide half scholarships to our clients’ children and finally, a new program of financial education for our clients. We have adopted a few strategies in order to provide all of our services in an efficient manner while maintaining sustainability. One of them is Pro Mujer women’s focal centers. Inside each center or agency, there are specialized personnel for each area. For credit, we have credit assistants; for health services, we have nurses who have studied three or four years; and for the business area, we have business assistants who are studying economics or business administration. Pro Mujer members are the eyes and hands of these working personnel. The idea is that each one of them spreads the practices learned from Pro Mujer not only within their families but also within their communities. One strategy that Pro Mujer has adopted is to be a part of a network and rely on alliances with other institutions that … allow us to provide multiple services.… Our clients can optimize their time and avoid additional costs since one focal center provides them with various services without them having to go from one place to another. For example, in the biggest focal centers, clients have access to communal credit associations, individual loans, savings services and doctors office for check-ups, not only for them but also for their families and children. They also receive health education and business services, and through our alliances with our partners, other services that we can’t offer, for example, payment of water and electricity bills. We currently have 39 focal centers where we offer all of these integrated services. We ended 2004 with a total of 64,000 associates, 49,000 borrowers, a gross portfolio of $7.2 million and $3.5 million in savings. We also have results regarding health issues – 63% of our clients have sought professional advice in sexual/reproductive issues while 29% have received orientation in sexual/reproductive health. We also care for their children and 40 percent of the children younger than five years old have sought medical advice. Finally, we know we have a lot of challenges ahead. We would like to measure social performance and in order to create this new measurement we are already defining social indicators that can be comparable with other institutions. We are also trying to improve the transparency and quality of human development information services. For instance, we are incorporating specific social information modules into our information management system. We also continue fighting to achieve sustainability for our human development services.
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