Social Sciences
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Item Micro Credit Programs on Women Empowerment in Sri Lanka: With Special Reference to Samurdhi Micro Credit Program(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri LankaKumari, J.A.P.2018.Micro Credit Programs on Women Empowerment in Sri Lanka: With Special Reference to Samurdhi Micro Credit Program.Reviewing International Encounters 2018, The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. p08, 2018) Kumari, J.A.P.Micro credit is the lending of small amounts of loan at low interest to law income people to start their own business. Micro credit used as a key tool for reducing poverty in developing countries after the experience in Bangladesh Grameen Micro Credit Program. Women empowerment has been identified as a main determinant to alleviating poverty in poor households. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of micro credit programs on women empowerment in order to reducing poverty in Sri Lanka. Data gathered through conducting interviews with total of 200 women in Samurdhi Micro Finance programs in Colombo District Secondary data collected from books, articles, relevant websites and other relevant documents. Collected data analyzed by regression analysis and descriptive analysis. The study revealed that micro credit has being effectively used to social and economic empowerment of women beneficiaries through increase family income and household living condition and Samurdhi microcredit program giving strong contribution to enhance small scale business, small saving and investment. The research demonstrated several general issues of microcredit servicers to poor women such as it failed to reach poorest of the poor women, lack of repayment, lack of effectively serve to target groups and misallocation of the resources as the result of political interferenceItem Comparison of Current status of well-being of Samurdhi beneficiaries with respect to their business activities(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Gunawardena, U.; Ariyawardana, A.Although more than half a decade after gaining independence, poverty remains to be a major problem prevailing in Sri Lanka. The Samurdhi is the largest poverty alleviation programme implemented in the country. Main aim of it is to promote self-reliance by developing income generating self-employment. This study was designed to compare the current status of well-being of Samurdhi beneficiaries with respect to their business activities using the asset poverty dimension approach. A purposive sample of 120 respondents including 60 Samurdhi beneficiaries who are involved in micro-enterprises and 60 Samurdhi beneficiaries who are not involved were selected for the study. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to construct the household asset related wealth index to compare the two groups. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire. The findings of the research revealed that, majority of the micro-enterprise owners were females. Many of them have had education up to G.C.E. (O/L) and majority have had the access to credit. Females were more involved in food processing and animal husbandry, while males were involved mainly in trade and service related activities. Lack of skills and support from the family members were the main reasons for others to not involve in micro-enterprises. The study further constructed a wealth index which explained 52.7 percent of the total variance and ranged between -2.522 to 2.031. Eighty percent of micro-enterprise owned households fall within the highest well-being group. A t test confirms that the difference of means when compared between groups is statistically significant. Based on the above results, it could be concluded that micro-enterprise owners are relatively better off than the people who were not involved in micro-enterprises. Thus, promoting microenterprises can be regarded as a better way to reduce poverty among low income earners in Sri Lanka.