NGOs and local MFIs—how to increase poverty reduction through women’s small and micro-enterprise

Abstract

Most enterprises, from the smallest to the largest, need capital. Enterprise can play a crucial role in alleviating poverty. In developing economies, women’s role in alleviating poverty through enterprise has long been recognised, and they have been received as a client group. However, poor women lack the capital required for enterprise start-ups and although lending mechanisms exist in their economy, mainstream financial institutions are not oriented towards providing them with the funding they require. Microfinance generally refers to the provision of financial services (e.g.: savings, credit, insurance) to the poor, those who normally do not have access to formal financial institutions. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in India have promoted micro-finance through women’s self-help groups. However, the different institutional forms are not value-neutral and vested interests are involved. The interests of people and those of micro-financing institutions (MFIs) sometimes compete and conflict. If NGOs change their direction and become MFIs, there could be serious repercussions on development work at the field level. When funding support underlines financial viability, then the MFIs have to be competitive; poverty reduction and empowerment will suffer unless the institutions are also owned and managed by the poor. In this case, more investment in building their capacity is required. In the present phase of evolution of an entrepreneurial culture in India, financial support for NGOs to become MFIs is cheaper than policing a market economy and the real issue of the poor being left out by the market economy is ignored. NGOs can provide the leadership for greater structural reforms and do what they are best at: be facilitators, and create people’s institutions for micro-finance. In this way, the holistic development of people that should precede their involvement in small and micro-enterprise is more likely to occur.