urban micro credit intiatives

If urban India continues to expand as has been predicted by the demographers, around 2025 the number of urban poor will probably be in excess of 200 millions, i.e. around one third of  the potential 600 million urban population. 

Above figures do not however describe fully the challenge before Civil Society Organisations in their fight against poverty. A significant part of  presently not poor has high level of vulnerability to asset and income loss and  is tomorrow’s poor.  

Micro credit provisioning in urban areas requires  altogether different approach in their design and content, because urban poverty is far more complex and dynamic than rural poverty.

What are the non income dimensions of urban poverty? How important is cash management in urban poor households? What is the essential life cycle, consumption and business compulsion  that urban poor need to spend in lump sums and at what cost?  How micro credit provisions may be useful  in asset protection and then in asset creation for the poor? What should be the appropriate methodology in motivating urban poor for micro credit ? What are the essential skills and tools that NGO staff must possess?

Creditwatch training courses help NGOs to find answer to these and many more related questions and enable them to create road map for sustainable micro credit for urban poor      

Module I: Understanding urban poverty    

 Economic & non economic dimension of poverty

 Poverty assessment Tools

 Household financial transactions & money management  

 Assets protection through Financial services

 Targeting clients

 Assessment of the need for credit and saving services

 Module II: Understanding Micro credit services   

 Safe savings

 Safe lending

 Recovery measurements, Portfolio at risk and loan loss

 Group lending & individual lending

 Determinants of loan installments  

 Loan monitoring & supervision

 Relevance of MFI's Loan policy

 Module III Micro Credit Accounting System and MIS

 Basic Accounting system

 Essential Financial Statements

 Organising paper works & internal control  

 Module IV Micro credit Interest Rates

 Determinants of interest rate on lending

                         Sustainable interest rate                                          

Module VI Building MFI

 Vision & Mission statement

 Orgainising funds

 Networking with banks and others

Module VII Mapping the future

 Scope for micro credit in area of operation of a NGO

 Goal setting & action programme for micro credit

 Capacity building support

Participating NGOS