1.

INTRODUCTION

MICROFINANCE

Microfinance provides people excluded from the traditional banking system with access to
financial services. This concerns the majority of the population of developing countries as
well as the disadvantaged populations of developed countries. The main activity of
microfinance is the granting of microcredit to support and develop small-scale economic
activities. Microfinance furthermore encompasses micro savings, micro insurance, leasing
and migrant remittances. The recent spread of payment systems by mobile phone makes it
possible to extend access to these services and to make them increasingly secure. The
services offered are developing constantly. Micro insurance, which had previously focused
on insuring borrowers against death or disability, is developing in the fields of health care and
agriculture.

Microfinance is based on a certain number of observations:

 It had been thought that the poor were less creditworthy than the rich. 
But by using original mechanisms based especially on group solidarity, as well as suitable
repayment plans, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) obtain very satisfactory loan repayment
rates of about 97 or 98%.
 An institution that grants loans of very small amounts to poor clients can be financially
viable, without having to call on donations or grants after a start-up period.
 Microcredit makes it possible for even very poor people to develop an income-generating
micro-activity, which may be commercial, artisan or agricultural.
 MFIs can contribute greatly to women’s empowerment and to their insertion into social and
economic life.

And an MFI is a local organization that provides microfinance services to local clients.

The MFIs can take on the form of a not-for-profit association (NGO), credit or co-operative
union, or commercial business (non-bank financial institution or microfinance bank).
Depending on its status, an MFI may be owned by its members or by shareholders having a
more or less stated social outlook. Many MFIs have transformed themselves and shifted from
a not-for-profit status to that of a regulated company, which usually allows them to collect
their customers’ savings.

MFIs belonging to the formal sector (for example microfinance banks or non-bank financial
institutions) are subject to specific bank regulation and supervision by the country’s
regulatory authorities, central bank and/or finance ministry. The semi-formal sector includes
non-governmental organizations as well as credit unions and cooperatives, which are not
always subject to bank regulation and supervision.

A fundamental social role

Differently from traditional banking institutions, MFIs play not only a financial
intermediation role, but also a social role.

They use special methodology to obtain good loan repayment rates – an essential condition
for their financial viability.

Moreover, social performance in microfinance is defined as “The effective translation of an

institution's social mission into practice in line with accepted social values such as serving
larger numbers of poor and excluded people; improving the quality and appropriateness of
financial services; creating benefits for clients; and improving social responsibility of an
MFI.”

WOMENS’ GROUP

The unity of women’s which empowers them with skills training, connects them to global
market opportunities, and enables them to earn an income to transform their communities is
known as women’s group. Where they aims to; promote enrichment, mutual support and
companionship/ friendship amongst local women; challenge negative attitudes about ageing;
promote healthy ageing by focusing on social, intellectual, physical and emotional factors
impacting on women’s lives. Each group offers a range of activities designed by and for
women, including workshops, seminars and training; interest and discussion groups; social
events; and physical activities. And the groups positively encourage women who are socially
isolated.
 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

As we have known that Microfinance is generally defined as the provision of a range of

financial services including savings, small loans, insurance and money transfer services to
marginalized members of the population and small to medium enterprises that do not have
access to finance from formal financial institutions. And women group has been known as a
unity to be together in every woes and happiness also by encouraging each other for the
betterment of livelihood. But in the case of Kapilakot in Sindhuli there is lack of trust, lack of
unity, lack of encouragement among women. Though women over there find out that micro
finance and women group are helpful enough for encouragement of their lives but somehow
they don’t find it trust worthy.

 Research Question
- What are the challenges of Micro finance and Women’s Group while guiding
for women empowerment?
- Do women’s are aware about the term empowerment?
- Are the factors of Micro finance and Women’s Group are really affecting
women’s lives?

 General Objectives
- To know that how Micro finance and Women Groups’ are guiding for
women empowerment.

 Specific Objectives
- To know about the level of awareness among the women about
empowerment.
- To know if the women are using proper way for empowering themselves
in the community or not.
 3. RSEARCH METHODS

Methodology is a scientific way to understand the reality or we can say that methodology is
science of understanding reality where taste, re-taste, verification exist. It is also known as
way of thinking or analysis. Likewise, methods are way of data collection. Tools and
techniques help to collect data but we need to be skillful to complete task. Research methods
are the way of finding reality related to the research topic. Research methods are the way of
experimenting methodology in a field or organization. It depends on working nature. Here in
this research I had used experimental method: field experiment method to explore the causal
relationship of group of women and guiding factors for their betterment of their livelihood.

 Organization selected for the field study

Selection of the field work represents the process of selecting field for the research and field
represents place, where we collect data or information to taste, re-taste, verify and falsify the
related assumption. Sindhuli district is representative district of Nepal having different
diversity on ecology, culture, religion, caste, ethnicity, weather, and many more things.
Mixed of Indigenous and marginalized group of people as well as different caste and race.
One of the major prominent factors to choose that place for research field is recently
movement of blocked in Nepal and Madhesi Revolution. On these evidence college
administrations choose Sindhuli as field place so all the student of MSW 2nd Semester
students were taken there.

 Rapport Building

Rapport is a state of harmonious understanding with another individual or group that enables
greater and easier communication. In other word, rapport is getting on well with another
person, or group of people, by having things in common; this makes the communication
process easier and usually more effective. Rapport building is one significant way of making
relationship good and effective. Rapport building or personal relation makes task easy
everywhere. Rapport building is the key component to reach out to the person to take related
and right information from the respondent. During the research time, I found out that most
women were in a passive state for such factor of micro finance and women’s group and some
of them were even impolite and unfriendly. But I didn’t forget my duty as social worker and
continued with my task. One of the case, that I experienced there was of an elderly rude
woman who don’t have faith on anyone and refused to cooperate with me while I was with
another woman but by priority based on the elderly people and women in this case I didn’t
deter from building a good rapport with the local as I communicated politely with the woman
and told her about our code of conduct. Later that woman apologized for her actions and
thanked me for being there though to listen to them properly.
 Data Collection Tools &Techniques

Tools are the means of collection and techniques are the idea to do the task. In terms of
research tolls are the way of taking data from respondent and techniques are the idea taking
information from the respondent. Observation, interview, survey, questionnaires, focus group
discussion, Key information interview are some of the data collections tools and techniques
that help to take information and data. Sometimes same tools and techniques could not
applicable to the different research because of research topic and research design. Here are
some of the few tools and techniques used in fieldwork;

i) Observation: Observation is the one of the key tools to find out the data from the
field. Evaluative observation is more reliable and significant for fieldwork to take
information practically. From evaluative observation it can be trace out the scenario of the
real situation. In this fieldwork, evaluative observation helped to understand and linked the
situation.

ii) Informal Interview: There are many types of interview among of them informal
interview is one. Some time with the help of formation interview it is difficult to find out the
exact data what researcher want to grab but informal interview gives a clear vision and data
from the respondent. In group informal interview helped to understand women's thought,
feeling, and expression. Through the informal interview data can be received easily better
than formal interview. By the help of interview I gathered information about women's
perception towards micro finance and women’s group members as well as their inner feeling
during being in a group.
iii) Group Discussion: Group discussion is another prominent tool to grab specific
information through discussion. In a group discussion person used to tell what he / she is
feeling, thinking and doing in a daily life. Group discussion if the place of expression
whether it might be good or bad. Through group discussion it becomes easy to observe what
is going in a group. What, When, Where, why and how group members speak, deal, act,
cooperate, negotiate and comes under mutual understanding or conflict between group.
That’s why group discussion was also one of the tools and techniques for data collection of
the field work.

Group discussion is a process and way of sharing information, ideas and experiences which is
really needed in data collection process whether data comes on textual or numeric form. To
gather information in same time by the many people or member of the group is so much
effective that is why FGD is used in the field and through the FGD many conflict,
controversy and unsatisfactory working impact's between group member, within and beyond
the group should expressed in the group discussion. Positive, negative, good, bad many
things comes in front of the group member thus organization of FGD is significant in
research.

iv) Sharing Session: Sharing session is also one of the tools where persons used to share
experiences what had happened in the field. Bitter, exiting, memorial time of the field used to
share in sharing session. Sharing session used to depicts whole day and full time off the field
important information. It was also a data collection tools and techniques for the field, which I
used in the field.

v) Interaction and meeting: Sometime single or group meeting and interaction is beneficial
to take information related to the fieldwork or research topic. Research topic leads to the
destination. Sometimes what information we try to seek that could not get from other tools on
that case interaction and meeting helps to find out the reality of the situation and scenario.
 4. ISSUE FOCUSED ACTIVITY

Decision for the fieldwork: To accomplished fieldwork, it is necessary to take a decision

first. If the decision is clear then the destination need to be fixed. First work for field is bold
decision to go to the field.

Selection of the field: Without destination, it is sure the task will not be complete. That is
why selection of the field was prominent to the field. While talking about field selection
college administration and field supervision team decided Sindhuli for fieldwork. It
represents different cultural, ecological, religious, social, environmental and many more
dicversity. At the then moment, Madhesi Movement also held in Tarai and Sindhuli was
bridge for Kathmandu for road accesses so sindhuli was a destination of the field for MSW
Program for second batch.

Observation: Observation is the one of the key tools to find out the data from the field.
Evaluative observation is more reliable and significant for fieldwork to take information
practically. From evaluative observation it can be trace out the scenario of the real situation.
In this fieldwork, evaluative observation helped to understand and linked the situation. It is
one of the main aspects of social work and this was constantly in my mind. Before starting
my work, I first went to nearer places to observe the condition of that village as well as the
villagers. I was focused to remember every crucial piece of information that I could gather
about the village and women by using my primary sense of vision. Key factor in my
observation were the numbers of women who were there at village. After that, I decided
about getting involved with the questions that I need to go through. Observation is a continual
process where I never stopped to assess the situation of the village or the situation of the
women’s.

Focused Group Discussion (FGD): FGD is carried out with two different group of ward no
five and ward no seven with mothers group and women’s group respectively. The objectives
of that FGD is to find out their need and how they are been encouraged by such group or how
the household work is been going on with the help of such group. From that FGD it was
concluded that women over there are getting more engaged with different women’s group too
for the betterment of their life and for the betterment of the life of other women’s too.

Interview: Semi structured interview is carried out with the thirty-five respondent who are
the representative of each places. That representative belongs to different caste, gender, age.
The main objective for choosing such respondent is to find out the need and condition of the
women, from different perspective.

Case Study: Case Studies are a type of observational research that involves a thorough
descriptive analysis of a single individual, group, or event. They can be designed along the
lines of both nonparticipant and participant observation. There I conduct some case study too
by focused on my topic.

Home Visits: Without having home visits I think a researcher would not be able to find out
his/her answer in a proper way. So applying the code of conduct, I normally used to visit to
the women’s house for the fact from where I used to find out answers automatically by
observising too.

5. ISSUE PROJECTED OBJECTIVES

Objectives set goals and goals set action similarly here are some major issue projected
objectives, which helped to formulate and complete role and task as fallows;

-To know that how Micro finance and Women Groups’ are guiding for women
empowerment.

-To know about the level of awareness among the women about empowerment.

-To know if the women are using proper way for empowering themselves in the community
or not.

Above three objectives are the major issue projected objectives. All the research and action
that had been held at Sindhuli is only to find out these major three objectives.
 6. ENCOUNTER AND EXPERIENCES

After accomplished fifteen days of fieldwork, I learnt many things during the then time; even
it was not according my expectation. I can conclude that this field was not well managed,
systematic and disciplined even though I got more experience and many things to learn in my
lifetime and time and it was memorable for me. I want to express my encounter and
experience through my learning experience and personal feeling.

Learning Experiences

As a Researcher:

As a researcher, it was my duty to answer the entire research questions of mine based on its
specific objective in the fieldwork. During fieldwork, I tried to find out answer regarding to
reason behind the women’s condition and the guiding factors for the upliftment of their
livelihood. With the help of observation, informal interview, sharing, communication, home
visits, case study and participation. Many obstacles and challenges were there while being in
a field but overall the work was absolutely fine and done in a proper way.

As a Participator:

Participation is one o the major component of the field to conduct a good fieldwork or a
research. I got chance to experience and felt many things regarding to the field as a
participator. Participatory approach is so much effective tools to analyze, observe, and
evaluate the goal of fieldwork. Thus, participation was significant for fieldwork and I played
a vital role to trace out the result of each answer of research questions.

Personal Feeling

I had gone to many field works in different places for different programs and project but I
found this was not well managed and systematic. My previous fields were so much
memorable and satisfied with task to accomplished goals of project or field. Though I got
chance to learn new things but this will be a part of memorable only, where It was kind of a
bitter experience all along the fieldwork time from academic institution. Anyway the work
over the fieldwork was fruitful for me.

7. GENERALIZATIONS DRAWN FROM THE FIELD STUDY

Fieldwork is the implementation part of research question and it gives picture of answer of
research question. During fieldwork, many challenges, problems and obstacles aroused but
we completed our task in a proper way though it was not managed properly that was one of
the best parts of field. During field, based on my participation and experiment I can conclude
that no one is there around the world who can be satisfied by their work, by their group even
with the helping group around them or the guiding factors guiding them for the upliftment of
the peoples’ livelihood. They can do show off for the sake of self because every human is a
social animal and by being in a society they seems to be forced to do the things or work
around them and at that no any micro finance or any women’s group help them out in a
proper or managed way.

References