Contribution of Micro Credit Programme in Empowering Women: A Special Reference to Kilinochchi District in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The prime objective of this study was to assess the impact of micro credit in empowering poor women before and after joining with micro credit programmes. The study was conducted at Kilinochchi District in Sri Lanka as one of the war affected areas. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to obtain a reliable data. Data were derived from a questionnaire survey of a sample of 94 women clients and three focus group discussions were conducted involving 18 women while in-depth interviews were carried out with another 12. The paired sample statistics was used to find out the significant differences between before and after joining the micro credit programme. The study indicated that the income levels of the majority of the clients have increased after the delivery of micro credit. The results have also been shown in the enhancement of the women’s self-confidence with respect to the capability to work on their own and improve their lives. The study concluded that the microfinance activities are necessary for the overall empowerment except access of micro credit.