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National Microfinance Study of Sri Lanka: Survey of Practices and ...

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In Wayamba the sustainability <strong>of</strong> the village organisations <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> the divisional<br />

level social organisations is doubtful unless at least a strong credit linkage is<br />

developed between the village organisations at divisional level <strong>and</strong> village level<br />

The current linkage with WHDRA is very uncertain due to lack <strong>of</strong> funds,<br />

management ability, <strong>and</strong> the sustainability <strong>of</strong> WHRDA itself.<br />

The Dry Zone Participatory Development Project ended in March 2000, the<br />

Badulla Integrated Development Project is due to end in September 2002 <strong>and</strong> the<br />

NCP Participatory Project in Anuradhapura is also scheduled to end soon.<br />

The sustainability <strong>of</strong> the project efforts at least in savings <strong>and</strong> credit is very<br />

unlikely unless another donor or the government strengthen the local institutions<br />

<strong>and</strong> the micr<strong>of</strong>inance programme. Funds for credit are still available from the<br />

balance <strong>of</strong> IFAD loan funds but the system is faulty <strong>and</strong> credit availability low.<br />

It is believed that donors, instead <strong>of</strong> starting new projects, should help ensure the<br />

sustainability <strong>of</strong> past projects that have a massive outreach to the poor who<br />

previously had no access to a formal savings <strong>and</strong> credit programmes. There are<br />

valued options to ensure the sustainability <strong>of</strong> these projects such as linkages to<br />

new projects including PAMP, or to substantial national NGOs such as SEEDS,<br />

or even to banks such as the Provincial Development Banks. All <strong>of</strong> these options<br />

require focused work <strong>and</strong> donor assistance to achieve operational <strong>and</strong> financial<br />

sustainability.<br />

Examples <strong>of</strong> Projects that were started in the 1990’s are as follows:<br />

North Central Province Participatory Development Project<br />

Funded by IFAD <strong>and</strong> earlier SIDA this project works in 15 <strong>of</strong> the 21 divisions in<br />

Anuradhapura <strong>and</strong> had mobilised 20,929 families into 3093 small groups <strong>and</strong> 377<br />

village organisations by end <strong>of</strong> June 2001.<br />

This is covers 1/3 rd <strong>of</strong> all families in the 15 divisions with the other 6 divisions<br />

covered by a separate ADB project. Some 282 out <strong>of</strong> 475 Grama Sevaka divisions<br />

in the fifteen divisional secretariats are covered by the project. Savings amongst<br />

all groups, both small savings groups <strong>and</strong> village societies, have reached SLR<br />

13.8 million. Each <strong>of</strong> one hundred <strong>and</strong> fifty village organisations has been given<br />

credit seed funding for their loan funds <strong>of</strong> SLR 25,000 each.<br />

Credit is given at three levels:<br />

Small Group<br />

Village Organisations<br />

Participating Banks<br />

The size <strong>of</strong> the loan increases up through the organisational from the lowest at<br />

the small group level upwards to participating bank level. At village group level<br />

the loans are mainly for consumption <strong>and</strong> emergency needs, whilst at village<br />

society <strong>and</strong> bank level, credit is granted for income generation activity only.<br />

101

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