Field Excursions with DST

The last two days we spent at an NGO called Development Support Team (DST). The organization began in 1984 as what I liken to a consulting firm - they provided support to other non profit organizations in proposal writing, monitoring, capacity building and evaluation. After a time they became direct practitioners in the field because they felt it would inform their theory. Since 1992 they have been practicing microfinance as a tool for women's empowerment.

In the mornings, DST gave a presentation on their model of microfinance and how it's a tool used for women's empowerment. I found these presentations to be extremely useful and fascinating - and we had a lot of really great discussions about the model, the practice and how it all translates into the end goal. I feel like this direct experience has really answered a lot of my own questions on how microfinance actually works and I feel so lucky to be here. I can't wait for the coming weeks and to learn about other models.

DST has developed a microfinance framework based on Self Help Groups (SHG). Each group is between 10 and 20 women in size, and to be in the group you must commit to save a small amount every month. After 6 months of the formation of the group, the group can start lending to each other using the money they have collected. Each group establishes their own rules, regulations, loans to approve, etc. DST aids the group in creating these formal structures but the groups are completely run by the women, DST only aids in further training and development through connecting them with resources or facilitating workshops. Each group is also supported by a community worker, a social worker and DST staff maintains in contact with the groups on a regular basis. I want to go into the details but I think I'll save it for another post - only 10 minutes left at the internet cafe! I'll write a post soon about their model, how it works and why it works.

In the afternoons DST took us to the field to visit with the women's groups and with a translator we were able to engage in direct Q&A with the groups. Here is a picture as everyone is getting seated and filing in - there were 20 women there when the meeting started.



It was set up so that for 2 hours were were able to ask any question we wanted. I didn't expect that we would have such free reign and direct interaction! After the first hour, the group really started to liven up and come out of their shells, their reactions were much more boisterous and they started to tell more of their experiences. I was struck by how confident the women are. It's obvious they have a strong sense-of-self despite the challenges they've faced. The SHG serves two purposes: 1) to give the woman a safe place to save, and access to loans if needed, and 2) to set up a social support group the women can turn to. The individuals have benefited in so many ways - it goes so far beyond access to money, yet the microfinance is the tangible tool that brings them all together and allows them to build community and support each other. The groups not only uplift the members economically, they also tackle social issues and give the women a platform with which to approach authorities when they need to report a crime or demand municipal services when they need something done for the community.

I only have pictures from the first day, unfortunately. I let the kids handle the camera and they had a great time taking photos. Here's one they took:



Other images from the day:







Today we split into smaller groups and were given a tour of the slums and visited a few microenterprises that the women had set up in their homes.



One woman was doing some sewing, selling saris (traditional dress) and bangles (bracelets). Others were selling grain, others had set up small vegetable stands. Their stories were incredible and they were so gracious. This group of women were more focused on enterprise as opposed to savings like the first group we visited...and their groups were much more mature than the first group, 10 years as opposed to 2 years old. In this community, there were also four or five men's SHGs that had formed - and it was great to hear that it was becoming a community wide phenomenon and men were being taken into the mix as well.

I have so much to share and convey, but I'm running out of time. I'll go into more details on my next posts. This is an amazing experience and I'm so excited for the next few weeks. Hope all is well!