Targeting Women in Micro-finance Schemes: Objectives and Outcomes

The ‘success’ of a development project, it is generally accepted, is related to the feasibility of its objectives within the socioeconomic conditions of the context in which the programme is to be implemented. What remains less categorical however, is the correspondence between the objectives of the programme design, and the aims of those who seek to implement it. So long as these goals are shared, the modifications in the design, necessitated by ground realities can be tackled accordingly, and the efficacy of the intervention can be gauged with reference to the convergent thrust. Non-conformity between the two, on the other hand, can result in an under utilisation of the potential that may exist for the translation of defined objectives into practical measures, for the pursuit of desired outcomes. In this paper we examine the gender component of the Urban Poverty Alleviation Project (UPAP) initiated by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The examination is based on the preliminary findings of an anthropological study entitled Credit, Gender, and Household Welfare, conducted at PIDE under the supervision of the author, from September- November, 2000.1 UPAP gives loans to self-constituted groups of women who would be considered uncreditworthy by normal banking standards.