Association for Development of the Northern Part of Mali (ADENORD)

 Background:
BURO, Tangail (BT) has been operating for the last 13 years in the country. During that period it has emerged as an important MFI pursuing financial intermediation with limited social intermediation and business development services (BDS). It has adopted commercial principles and has meanwhile become a sustainable MFI within a short period of time. BURO implemented the project called "Economic and Social Empowerment of the Hardcore Poor" between April 2004 and December 2006 with financial support from Strømme Foundation. The project aimed at reducing poverty through economic and social advancement of poor and hardcore poor living in urban areas in a sustainable manner.

Purpose/objective:
1. Assess what practical effects (results) the project has produced on participants/beneficiary groups, including on the hardcore poor from microfinance services, coverage and those who could make the best use of and those who could not
2. Review beneficiaries/customers' training program to assess how much capacity could it develop, examining also social capital issue in more generic term.
3. Examine who accessed adult education and how much they benefited from it, evaluating also the level of members' reading, writing, numeracy skills and their level of social awareness
4. Assess the level of cognitive and language skills of children to prepare them for class-I in the formal school system. Ascertain whether any could get enrolled in the formal schools after getting education or skills from the project.
5. Review the conditions of general healthcare situation and knowledge of all households that have been brought under this project. Evaluate also practices and knowledge with regard to accessing safe water and maintaining hygienic sanitation
6. Identify the needed social intervention for improving the condition of the hardcore poor
7. List indicators to be used for assessing capacity building of Private NGOs and the potential for sustainability of the program.
8. Recommend for overcoming any weaknesses of the present microfinance practices for addressing needs of the hardcore poor

Methodology:
The study was carried out using quantitative but predominantly qualitative approaches to assess effectiveness of implementation of the project. Primary data were collected from the field using different methods e.g. questionnaire, Focus Group Discussions, Key Informants and Case Studys covering in total 200 households.

Key findings:
Average monthly income and expenditure: Average income of households has increased by 130% as well as the average monthly expenditure by 129% which commensurate with their increased income. Data showed that they have mainly benefited in increasing income (37.3%) and economic solvency (57.3%). The respondents other benefits were, land purchase, marriage of daughter, medical treatment and education of children.
Savings: General savings has increased by 1,056% and contractual savings by 312% with a high tendency towards savings.
Health awareness: While 75.5% know about project health facilities but only 24% availed of these indicating that available healthcare facilities are not used by project participants
Food security: Food security of the households has increased to a considerable extent. At present there is no household, which is taking only one meal in a day, but there are few households (3.5%) who are able to take only two meals a day.
Training received: At least 75% respondents mentioned that they have received training from the project and most of them (89.9%) mentioned that training was regular and useful.
Adult education: In case of adult education achievement is limited. Data show that only 55.5 received adult education and out of that 83.8% can read, only 4.5% can write and 11.7% can count/calculate. On Child education, data show that 32.3% children attend project school and remarkably 45.1% are admitted to other primary schools after completing in the project school. Number of children going to other school also is high 57%. However only 36% were satisfied with quality of the project school.
Empowerment of women: Data showed that husband takes decision in many cases in the family though almost half the respondents mentioned that women's role in the family has increased.
Reaching hardcore poor: The project was planned to serve hardcore poor but it has not addressed primarily the hardcore poor. People who have been served under the project are poor but not necessarily the hardcore poor although they themselves claim to be among the hardcore poor.
Replication of the project: The project can be replicated with more facilities and products. More programs should be included, such as family planning, nutrition program and more awareness raising programs should be included.

Recommendations:
• Increase loan amount for successful members though with care. Decrease interest rate as much as possible.
• Health facilities should be decentralized in the project area, organizing these in each area on a fixed day and time. A health card system can be introduced to help maintain health record of households.
• Pre-primary school education system should continue and be introduced in each area so that more children can be covered under the program.
• Instead of adult education a program may be introduced for adolescent groups who can make better use of education and health care issues.
• Other program activities should be included, such as family planning, nutrition program, legal aid program, improved woven, health card system etc. in association with other organizations. Use of improved woven would help reduce fuel cost leading to a big saving on costs.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
The report was presented by BISR to SF and BURO and observations and recommendations were discussed and accepted. During 2006, BURO will submit to Stromme their proposal for the second phase of the pilot project addressing slum dwellers in Dhaka.
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