PlaNet Finance Wins Bid to Conduct MF Impact Study in Shaanxi Province

April 26, 2010

PlaNet Finance China is honored to have recently won the competitive bid to conduct an impact assessment for the China operation of the development agency Plan International.
 
In 2005 and 2006, Plan International partnered with the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) and the Shaanxi branch of the ACWF to establish microfinance associations in five counties and districts: Yu Yang District, Jia Xian County, Pu Cheng County, Chun Hua County and Xi Xiang County, representing a mix of purely rural and peri-urban locations under Plan China’s Livelihood Program. The aim of the Livelihood Program is to provide sustainable, inclusive and client-responsive financial services to poor and low-income people. This adds another component of support to the pre-existing community-building work of PlaN International in conjunction with the local chapter of ACWF.
 
The assessment focuses on the effectiveness of Plan’s Microfinance Program, and how these associations are affecting the lives of the members, especially children, households, and communities as a whole. Some important questions for the PlaNet Finance team to answer are:

  • Are the programs reaching the poor and poorest households?
  • Do the financial services provided meet the needs of the poor and poorest households?
  • How does the program strengthen the well-being and the rights of children to adequate nutrition, health, education and clean water?
  • With the collaboration of PlaNet Finance Egypt, PlaNet Finance China has begun designing the impact assessment tools and will deliver the final report by June 30, 2010. This work will focus on the impact of microfinance loans on households and, in particular, the children within those households.

 
For more information regarding Plan China’s Microfinance Programs, please refer to their website http://www.plan-international.org.cn/what-we-do/livelihoods/micro-finance. For information of PlaNet Finance China’s technical assistance services, please see our Technical Assistance Page.