Opinion: Need of the day – Bridging development and microfinance

By Farhat Abbas Shah,

Microfinance Focus , June 14, 2010 : Results are always the best yardstick to measure the affectivity of any endeavor. It is not a matter of blame game or trading charges. To fight poverty all over the world requires stock taking of all the efforts made so far.

Let’s take the example of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan, of course, differs from Afghanistan as the microfinance sector at least took off but, much to our chagrin could not bear the expected results. Afghanistan still desperately looks for even the initial stage. In Pakistan the performance of the sector betrays a kind of rift of vision and mission. The facilitators at local level also failed to recheck the strategy in cases of utter failures and continued reckless financing. In doing so, the real players at local level were automatically ignored.  Then, consciously or unconsciously, undesired results of the microfinance sector were attributed to the world economic crisis. The fact is that at least so far countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China maintained healthy growth rates despite the economic downturn in the first world.

No doubt, there were problems like inflation but failures cannot be attributed to a single factor. A business-like relation was required between the local facilitators and Partner Organizations (Pos) instead of personal one. It created a kind of complacency on the part of POs while the sector began to suffer. The registrations of more than 1,000 police cases also indicate the violation of Customer Code of Conduct. Then there occurred a crisis of confidence between the senior management of POs and there staff. In certain instances the management began to demand security checques from their staff.

This breach of confidence also disillusioned the customers and cast doubt upon the sincerity of purpose, with which initially the whole exercise of the sector was launched.

Though Islamic finance has offered a viable and effective method, even this direly requires a sincerity of purpose. Islamic finance, if taken up as a methodology could help tap a huge market which desperately needs a response from the sector.

The aspect of Amal-e-Khair (social responsibility) could off set the crisis of confidence between the POs and customers while hugely contributing to the success of the sector. Farz Methodology made healthcare, environment and education its components to ensure the sustainability of the sector, which cannot be had without the sustainability of the customer.

By bridging the development and microfinance sectors, we can successfully realize the goal of poverty alleviation. The countries like Afghanistan and Haiti also require this kind of combination. Poverty alleviation and development should simultaneously take place to isolate the elements who thrive on poverty, destruction and lack of education in countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Poverty is at the heart of all the ills and problems. I have personally seen the cases where poverty has pushed the individuals to an unthinkable extreme. After a lot of work with the sector, this methodology was formulated. A tremendous initial response gave a great deal of encouragement convincing us that through determination, sincerity of purpose and means, we can a difference.

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