ABBL

Is the Microfinance sector still playing its social role? Are Microfinance institutions drifting away from their social mission?

More than ever before, these questions are reverberating around the world of Microfinance. Considered as an effective tool in terms of poverty alleviation, Microfinance has demonstrated its financial sustainability which in turn has attracted commercial funders to invest more money into this growing sector. Whilst positive in themselves, these recent developments have raised the issues of social impact and responsibility.

Improved client outreach and increased flows of funding into the sector may not prove sufficient to ensure a real improvement in terms of the overall development and well being of the targeted population. As the Microfinance sector has matured and developed, it has realised the need for MFIs to achieve that double-bottom line and as a result social performance indicators and tools were developed over four years ago in order to monitor MFIs’ social impact.

On June 30, at the XIth Midi de la Microfinance, Mr Sanjay Sinha, Managing Director of M-CRIL, will demonstrate, by drawing on examples from his extensive experience in Asia as a specialized Microfinance rater, how Microfinance institutions can bring social dimensions into financial services.

For more information, please visit: http://www.microfinance.lu/326.html

(Source: ADA)