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Yallingup, Western Australia
Email:
viti@bearfruit.com.au
Website:
http://www.bearfruit.com.au
Identify what Nepalese individuals and families perceive have been important and
beneficial in their lives with respect to HwH provision of microcredit loans.
Quantify how they felt about the loans and highlight what changes in their life could be
attributed to the loan.
Incorporate my own observations with respect to different elements linked to the
questions and other commentary. [
My thoughts around what these different elements
were came later and where linked to my exploratory study I undertook on behalf of the
former Centre for Women and Business, University of Western Australia.
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This National
and International Survey into the Experiences and Activities of Women in Small Business
in Rural, Regional Remote Areas in Australia
and Provincial Areas in New Zealand,
involved 75 interviews carried out in 2003 – 2005
].
Key findings: microfinance cooperative Jutpani V.D.C.4, Chitwan District, Nepal
The HwH small-scale study took place in January / February 2011 and involved nine local
participants, seven women and two men were from four villages. Their ages ranged from 24 –
57. Over the last five years, all participants had accessed microcredit loans from HwH — Shree
Nava Udya savings and credit cooperative (SNUsacc) branch.
The methodology applied for this study required a translator and the interview questions were
to a large degree determined by Shila KC and Ramchandra KC. The source for their questions
came from a sample questionnaire (Indian microfinance project) which was then adapted to suit
their needs. My role was identifying questions pertinent to extracting the qualitative data
needed for HwH research requests.
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Crucial to this small-scale study were my personal
observations in addition to the informal communications with a number of people from the
villages, plus impromptu discussions with SNUsacc cooperative board members. (Many of these
translated discussions appear in my fieldwork journal.)
The three major key fieldwork findings were:
1.
Collectively Nepalese individuals and their families perceived microcredit loans to be
important and beneficial because:
o
The loans provided the opportunity to work from home and created
opportunities for business success and growth. This was realised by doubling
their daily income and greater profit margins. In addition, the loan repayment
methods facilitated increased personal savings and raised their standard of living.
2.
The difference the microcredit loans have made to their lives was evident in the
following:
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http://www.business.uwa.edu.au/
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HwH Microfinance Cooperative Project, Jutpani V.D.C.4, Chitwan District, Questionnaire - 28
th
January to 6
th
February 2011, Appendices (1)