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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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4 RISK AND VULNERABILITY FINANCEwill be forced <strong>to</strong> rent them at ex<strong>to</strong>rtionate rates. The same goes for arickshaw driver without his own rickshaw or a seamstress without herown sewing machine. A family without a secure place <strong>to</strong> hold savingsmay s<strong>to</strong>re its wealth in much riskier investments such as lives<strong>to</strong>ck.Since the early 1970s a number of non-profit microfinanceorganisations have stepped in<strong>to</strong> this gap, led by the most famous,Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, whose founder Muhammad Yunus wasawarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The growth of microfinanceinstitutions has been spectacular, with the <strong>to</strong>tal number of borrowersrising from 13.5 million in 1997 <strong>to</strong> 113.3 million in 2004, of whomtwo-thirds were people living on less than $1 a day. The vast majorityof these people are in Asia, where over one-third of poor families haveaccess <strong>to</strong> microfinance. 27Although microfinance is generally equated with micro-credit(small loans), in many cases the availability of well-designed, safe, andaccessible savings products for poor people is just as important – if notmore so – in reducing poverty. The very poorest people are oftenunwilling <strong>to</strong> take the risk of a micro-credit loan, but are keen <strong>to</strong> savesmall amounts <strong>to</strong> reduce future vulnerability. Savings groups of 20 orso individuals provide one effective approach, lending <strong>to</strong> individualmembers of the group, with the interest going back <strong>to</strong> the group fundas well as the savings account of each member.A revolving savings andloan scheme of this type can earn members 20–40 per cent a year ontheir savings, as well as providing the benefits of a micro-creditscheme <strong>to</strong> those who take out loans. 28Other providers are developing ‘micro-insurance’ along the linesof micro-credit, charging from as little as 50 cents <strong>to</strong> insure anythingfrom television sets <strong>to</strong> burial costs. In India, the largest comprehensivecontribu<strong>to</strong>ry social security scheme for informal economy workers isthe Integrated Social Security Programme set up by the Self EmployedWomen’s Association (SEWA) (see Part 3, page 162). SEWA’s programmeinsures more than 100,000 women workers and covers health insurance(including a maternity component), life insurance, and asset insurance. 29Micro-insurance providers often forego traditional documentationrequirements, sometimes selling life insurance <strong>to</strong> people who do notknow their date of birth. As with micro-credit, micro-insurance isincreasingly moving in<strong>to</strong> the mainstream, attracting big players such221

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