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Credit with Education - Global

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Launched in 1988, Credit for Education is part of the USA-based NGO Freedom From Hunger (FFH's) strategy to empower women in the rural regions of 14 economically deprived countries worldwide to confront the problems of hunger and poverty. Credit with Education provides women with microfinance services (access to very small cash loans and savings) and education sessions that focus on health, nutrition, and business strategies. Organisers hope that helping women invest in small, locally-based companies will help them generate income, as well as build a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.
Communication Strategies
Credit for Education helps small groups of women secure a loan - on average, US$75 per person. Instead of providing collateral, the women co-sign for each other. They repay the loans at affordable interest rates over time. The loans are designed to enable women to set up small businesses, such as making food products or crafts. These businesses must be or become locally owned and operated.

In addition, health and nutrition education is provided to women at weekly meetings. As the women pay back their loans, they are enabled through these sessions to buy more and better food, to invest in their children's education, and to take control of their families' health.

As part of this programme, FFH helps local organisations set up their own Credit with Education system. Working with local partners, Credit with Education programmes have been established in Benin (3,800 women), Bolivia (31,000 women), Burkina Faso (41,000 women), Ghana (14,000 women), Guatemala (4,821 women), Guinea (800 women), Haiti, Honduras (6,400 women), Madagascar (2,700 women), Malawi (3,400 women), Mali (35,000 women), the Philippines (23,000 women), Togo (15,000 women), Uganda (15,000 women). Programmes are being built in Ecuador and India.

FFH's Credit with Education Technical site offers resources and results related to the programme.
Development Issues
Women, Children, Economic Development, Health, Nutrition, Family Planning.
Key Points
Founded as Meals for Millions in 1946, FFH is a non-profit organisation based in California, USA. FFH's programmes focus on low-income women from rural areas and work in partnership with indigenous organisations to develop innovative solutions to increase household food security and health.

Credit with Education reaches more than 217,000 women. To date, FFH has trained more than 20 local organisations in 13 countries to establish Credit with Education services for poor, rural communities.

In the mid-1990s, FFH conducted two longitudinal studies to measure the impact of Credit with Education. For example, in Ghana, 90% of participants reported increased income since joining the programme. 78% said they are "very confident" they know how to prevent their children from contracting diarrhea and other diseases, as compared to 31% of non-participants.
Partners

FECECAM (Federation of Agricultural Savings and Credit Unions), Crédito con Educación Rural (CRECER), Fédération des Caisses Populaires du Burkina Faso (FCPB), Freedom from Hunger/Ghana, FUNDAP (Fundación Para el Desarrollo Integral de Programas Socioeconómicos), Opportunities Industrialization Centers International, Inc. (OICI), United Nations Development Program's MicroStart initiative [funder], Action Contre la Misère (ACLAM) COD (a development programme of the Methodist Church in Haiti), FAMA, Haingonala, Tiavo, Vola Mahasola, World Vision, Kafo Jiginew, Nyèsigiso, U.S. Agency for International Development [funder], World Council of Credit Unions, CARD (Center for Agriculture and Rural Development), Féderation des Unions Coopératives d'Epargne et de Crédit (FUCEC), and FOCCAS (Foundation for Credit and Community Assistance).

Sources

Freedom from Hunger site

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

This is a useful new idea about using very modest sums of money to effect change in the lives of rural women

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 20:15 Permalink

Just doing some research work that might be of help in the development of a parallel community driven development initiatives in the hinterlands of Mindanao Islands, Philippines especially on the role of filipino women in cooperative development. Hope that the documents being studied can aid me on this matter. Kudos to all development NGOs and POs!