VANWODS Microfinance Impact Assessment 2010
This assessment examines the impacts of VANWODS’s services on the lives of members in the context of organisational changes. It is a follow-up to the first impact assessment conducted by World Education Australia in 2007. The assessment attempts to inform the future development of VANWODS through client feedback.
VANWODS has been delivering microfinance services to women since 1996. A new management team took control of the organisation in 2008. VANWODS has seen exponential growth since then, with the opening of new offices and introduction of new initiatives. The impact assessment found that VANWODS:
- Had helped members get a business, extend their premises, sell new products, increase profits and the number of their businesses;
- Had not impacted members’ sanitation situation, nutrition, access to health services and change in technical skills;
- Had changed members’ thinking, making them work hard on their businesses.
Members interviewed during the impact assessment made several recommendations on VANWODS’s loans and savings products. The impact assessment recommends that VANWODS prioritize implementing the management information system, address member concerns about loan products, make better use of center meeting times, engage with the community and conduct regular client feedback exercises.
