Paper
Financial Education Support the Social Entrepreneurs of Asia-Pacific: PlaNet Finance Experience
Proceedings from the Citigroup-INSEAD "Women's Financial Education Summit", 2004, Hong Kong
Download13 pages
This presentation focuses on the need to provide financial education to women micro entrepreneurs. It:
- Highlights the role of microfinance in poverty alleviation and women's empowerment;
- Discusses the assets and barriers that women have as micro entrepreneurs;
- Stresses that women are strategic agents of social change;
- Explains why women need technical knowledge and financial education to run their businesses.
The presentation states that a specific training program for women would help them to:
- Define and develop a feasible business according to their needs;
- Conduct research on a suitable market for their business;
- Make effective use of local materials and resources;
- Choose the best one among the various financial choices offered to them.
The presentation explains how:
- Financial education can improve microfinance clients' entrepreneurial skills;
- Women entrepreneurs can obtain financial education through a microfinance program that would offer them:
- Access to credit;
- Closeness;
- Confidence;
- Regularity.
The presentation provides information on:
- Adult learning principles and practices;
- Advantages of loan group meetings;
- MFIs in various Asian countries that have cost-effectively reached women entrepreneurs.
It presentation concludes by:
- Explaining the general mission and activities of PlaNet Finance;
- Briefing the activities of PlaNet Finance's Training and Technical Support Department in imparting financial education to women microentrepreneurs;
- Detailing the methodologies used by this department.
