Making a Clear Difference
In this paper the author states that women headed small MFI-NGOs in Bangladesh provide a valuable service by reaching out to those women who are ignored by the larger microfinance institutions (MFIs). However, lack of organizational skills in areas such as management and financial systems limits their institutional capacities to expand and become fully sustainable.
To address this problem, the Credit and Development Forum (CDF) organized training modules for women microfinance managers with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The modules helped them to build skills in the following areas:
- Supervision and monitoring;
- Book keeping and accounts;
- Financial management;
- Management information systems (MIS).
The author remarks that the training has increased the efficiencies of the partner NGOs of CDF and they are able to provide better financial services to around 20,000 poor women in Bangladesh.
