Building Better Lives: Integrating Health with Microfinance

It has been acknowledged that the most important action that can be taken to improve global health is to empower women. The Microcredit Summit Campaign realizes that, despite the impressive impact of microfinance services alone on poverty, health, and empowerment, other services and strategies must be made available to create a web of support to help families lift themselves out of poverty. One such strategy is the integration of microfinance with health education.

Since 2000, the Microcredit Summit Campaign (MCS) has partnered with Freedom from Hunger, a leader in integrating microfinance with health education, to 1) demonstrate that integrating microfinance with health education results in enhanced improvements in the lives of microfinance clients and their families, 2) show that in-country trainers can build viable businesses teaching microfinance institutions how to integrate microfinance with health education, and 3) show that microfinance institutions are willing and able to pay for their services, so that this important work becomes self-sustaining.

Where we are now: 

  • MCS launched a 2007 pilot project in India where 4 individuals are provided with the skills and knowledge to become in-country trainers and provide ongoing technical support to local MFIs in two states.
  • The mid-term report from the India Pilot Project indicates:
  • A total of 90 MFI field workers have been trained and delivered lessons to the targeted 12,552 clients on the topics of HIV/AIDS prevention, and integrated management of childhood illnesses.
  • The in-country trainers and MCS regional organizer have already been approached by additional MFIs who would like to receive training on this integrated service delivery method. 

Advocacy Document

 


Click here to download the advocacy document produced by the Campaign in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The document calls for integrating reproductive health education with microfinance services in developing countries to enhance the impact of microcredit on the problem of global poverty and poor health.

 


Future Outlook:

  • In the first quarter of 2008, a third series of lessons will be delivered to all India Pilot Project clients.  The lessons will focus on the topic of women’s reproductive health.  This series will be led by the in-country trainers on their own and will serve as a valuable opportunity to assess their potential to take over the dissemination and provision of trainings on this and additional available topics.
  • Day-long Course at Asia-Pacific MCS Regional Summit – MCS will be hosting a regional summit in Asia in mid 2008.  More than one thousand delegates from over 40 countries are expected to attend the summit.  Delegates will have an opportunity to discuss the integration of microfinance with health education during a workshop
  • Over a four-year Phase II period, MCS will train two in-country trainers in each of six countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America (with adjustments for large countries like India). In total, 36 in-country trainers in 18 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.  Each in-country trainer will, in turn, train approximately 20 field workers/trainers in up to 4 different MFIs in each country.
  • Approximately 1.44 million family members will be empowered with information that can accelerate their movement out of poverty.

Watch a clip from a short film about Building Better Lives: