Kathmandu, 15 October 2015: A rural Dalit woman in Nepal, who would otherwise be deprived of even basic necessities, would never imagine that a simple mobile message could change the facet of her life. However, a journey towards that end has kicked off for Sushma Sunar, hailing from Badachaur-2 of Rolpa district, after she received a call in her cellular phone with a voice message starting ‘Hello Namaskar! This is a public awareness creating message about financial literacy’.
She went on listening to the message with interest that further states– ‘A chunk of money can be arranged for future even with a minimum monthly savings of fifty rupees. It does not only help manage household expenses including health treatment but also provides base for running income-generating micro-enterprises leading to the path of capability. So, let us build on savings habit and set the journey towards prosperity’.
At the beginning Sushma was curious and cautious upon hearing the recorded message over the phone with ‘who’ and ‘why’ questions. She was equally worried about balance deduction from her cellular phone. The mobile message impressed her much so she hastened to impart it to her fellow female friends next morning when gathered for fetching water from a public well. They also shared same message being circulated encouraging them to initiate savings at bank and financial institutions, take loans, receive remittances from foreign countries, insure livestock or other business venture and start up micro enterprises.
‘This is interesting; we have made up our mind to act as per the message’, Sushma said, adding that, ‘It is an eye-opening message to the members of Dalit women community like us. Now we are capable to make our life self-reliant’. Owing to mobile message effect other woman members of the community like Sushma are also involved in facilitating savings and credit affairs after venturing out a Milanchowk Vijaya Women Group.
The local people who were merely aware of the mobile use for general communication now are surprised for knowing and understanding financial management as important aspects of livelihood. ‘With this we come to know that mobile phone is used not only for communicating with people but also for knowing practical tips about savings and credit. We are also utilizing it for developing enterprises for improved livelihood as well as receiving remittance service’, Sushma noted with excitement.
It has brought about substantial changes in money management. Most of the people who never saw the face of the bank are now familiar with day-to-day banking. The mobile message has changed their lifestyle prompting them to save money at bank and take loan from the financial institution at a subsidized interest rate. The newly cultivated banking habit has liberated them from paying off exorbitant interest rate of loan to informal money lenders. Local women are found to have shifted out their attraction to bank or financial institution after the Vijaya Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha(VLBS) put in place a campaign of financial literacy through mobile voice message (Interactive Voice Response – IVR) since last August.
Being aware of the risk of delay and mishandling while sending money to their relatives or family members abroad via informal channels or person(s), some of them have sought reliable channel for the same. Even some youths in the village are bound to start small business through banks or financial institutions. ‘The financial literacy through mobile message has created new wave in village’, said Rudra Bahadur Thapa of Gajul, Rolpa, adding, ‘People like me who used to feel difficult to go to bank now have started doing transactions through banks or financial institutions’. Thapa has started his poultry business after receiving loan from a bank.
With this in context, Basanta Lamsal, Managing Director of VLBS, shared that the institution (VLBS) has pioneered such financial literacy campaign in Nepal following the South African best practice to that end. With the abrupt rise in the use of mobile technology of late, the financial literacy campaign through mobile message is gaining effective ground in rural areas, he added.
The institution has initiated a programme to improve livelihoods of disadvantaged people through access to finance in Rapti zone (Dang, Salyan, Pyuthan, Rolpa and Rukum districts) with the assistance of Sakshyam Access to Finance Programme, a DFID funded project. After the success of the mobile-delivered programme, the VLBS is making preparation to develop and disseminate one-minute short drama through local Community Radio in coordination with Vijaya FM, Managing Director Lamsal informed.
Sakshyam has stressed the need of enhancing access to mobile technology to educate beneficiaries about management information system, tablet banking project and available financial services on pilot basis, said financial capacity building and training expert of the programme SumanDhakal. He expressed his confidence that it would contribute to secured transactions and transform the financial status of the area.
Among other focuses of the programme are capacity enhancement, enforcement of technology-based financial literacy curriculum and educating target groups through community radio, tablet and interactive voice recording message.
The IVR technology alone reaches out messages on financial literacy to 6,000 people. As many as 13,000 members affiliated to the partner financial institutions of Sakshyam are receiving messages on financial literacy through various media, said Sakshyam’s Communications Manager Utsab Shakya.
The VLBS has reached out its services to rural and distant geographical area by setting up four new branches in the districts and is expanding two other branches. Among 1,800 members affiliated to the institution, 95 per cent are women and disadvantaged group members.
VLBS General Manager Narayan Sapkota said that the institution has set the target of providing loan and insurance service to 2,800 households in three years and enable 4,200 families to get into the habit of making savings. It is expected that 2,800 micro and small enterprises would be operated with the service. The target group comprises 75 per cent poor, 80 per cent women, 30 per cent youths and 40 per cent disadvantaged. He further shared that a capital of around Rs 170 million would be mobilized during the project period.
The institution has been providing loan up to Rs 120,000 each to those aspiring to start business without collateral. As of now the institution has mobilized Rs 290 million to promote employment-generating enterprises including livestock, vegetable farming, grocery, hotel and workshop in Rapti zone and other districts.
                                                                              Source RSS
                                                                           Krishna Adhikari Â
                                                                     Translated by Krishna Sapkota