Micro-credit makes women of Monipuri community self-dependent

Microcredit and Women's Empowerment

Monipuri is the name of an ethnic community and it belongs to a patrilineal society. This community is usually found in many thanas of Moulavibazar district. The main occupation of the members of the community is agriculture, especially vegetable production and weaving. But weaving is totally domestic oriented. “Moytoy” is their local dialect but they also know Bengali language. They are the followers of Hindu religion and an important part of them are Muslims and Christians.

Women of Monipuri community are especially involved in economic activities for earnings in support of their family. So, they willingly take financial support from microfinance organisations for the improvement of their family status and to become self-dependent. They have no confidence on the country’s banking system, public and private.

As a founder-country of micro-credit activities in the world, Bangladesh has remarkable achievements on this count. By operationalising various micro finance programmes, Bangladesh has proved that it is quite possible for a man or woman to get proper financial assistance, if he or she works hard to become self-reliant. There are a large number of projects in Bangladesh for supporting and encouraging self-sustainability of a man or woman. In this context, the non-government organisations (NGOs) in Bangladesh are playing pro-active roles. They are offering credits for different income-generating programmes. There are different communities, including religious ones, in Bangladesh which are the beneficiaries of NGO activities.

The Monipuri community is a distinctive one in our own culture and society. In all sectors of our culture and tradition, their contribution is important. The members of this community are hard working and dedicated. The women members of this community do particularly contribute a lot for uplift of their respective family. Traditionally, they are an important part of our society. They are interested to get financial support from any financial institution in order to bring about a positive change in their life-style. So, most women of Monipuri community are directly involved with large micro-finance institutions (MFIs) operating in their respective areas.

Here ASA, BRAC, Grameen Bank etc., are the notable ones. Getting credits from these NGOs involves simplified procedures. Their loan disbursement system is flexible. But the case with the bureaucratic system of government-oriented and non-government banking sector is different. There are a good number of successful case stories for women of the Monipuri community. Such women have become self-dependent by own initiatives with NGOs credit supports.

Microcredit is playing an important role in enabling a large number of women of this community self-supporting. Such women are also supporting members of their families as well as the employees working in their community. A large number of them live in Kamalganj Thana of Moulavibazar district. As a large MFI, ASA has been operating its microfinance programme in Kamalganj area for 18 years. During this time, it has extended big financial support to the women of Monipuri community for their development and to make them self-reliant.

Most women of Monipuri community are loan members of ASA. There are 10000 women members of the community who have benefited themselves from ASA’s microfinance programme. The cost recovery from them is 100%. Its women-clients are honest and dedicated, having a good track in making payments of their loan instalement. They invest their all money in profitable projects for income generation. Most women of Monipuri community are involved in agricultural sector. Their income-earning source is mainly agriculture-based. They also make handricraft products like bed-sheet, ‘panjabee’, ‘orna’, ‘gamsa’ etc. The demand for such products is positive in our Bengali society. ASA has given them for this purpose a large amount of loans. There are three or four ‘Tats’ (looms) in each family.

In this area, ASA has financed about Taka 500 million for bringing about a positive change in life-style of its clients and the expansion of their businesses. For the first time, they got Taka 5000 as a micro loan from ASA. That was in 1991, ASA started their microfinance programme in that community successfully.

Now every loan member get Taka 35,000 as a micro loan from ASA on an average. But the previous financial condition of such loanees was not satisfactory. When they needed large amounts of funds to develop their business, they got a big financial support from “ASA” Kamalganj Thana. That was their turning point for a positive change in their life style. Now they are very happy. They are also 100% self-dependent. Gradually, they expanded their business, with the support of their profit.

Three types of Monipuri community are in Bangladesh. They are : 1) Bishnupria, 2) Moytoy and 3) Muslim. Eighty per cent members of the community are educated. Their mother language is “moytoy”. The women of Monipuri are not dependent on their husband’s income. They are well established and self-dependent women in their society with ASAs’ financial support. They are not much interested in the activities of other NGOs and banks. They are mostly involved with ASAs’ activities. They are happy with ASA’s authority for the financial assistance under its small (female) and SEL loan programmes. It is a successful operation in overall women development sector in Bangladesh.

It would be pertinent to note here that ASA was included in the prestigious Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s top 50 microfinance institutions (MFIs). It is a tribute to ASA’s outstanding performance and devotion to its work over the years. The second position under the ranking has gone to Bandhan. It has also been nurtured by ASA. This would bear out the sustainability and scalability of ASA’s model.

ASA provides six loan products in Bangladesh successfully. All loan products are effective loan programmes for women’s empowerment and also for promoting women micro entrepreneurs in all communities of Bangladesh. Both men wand women are the beneficiaries of ASA’s loan programmes. Now in Bangladesh, ASA provides its microfinance programmes to 8.0 million poor and helpless people through its 4000 branches.

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