Outreach, Impact, and Sustainability of Informal Banking: A Case Study of the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance Microenterprise Program in Mali

Keywords

rural credit program, Mali, banking

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a rural credit program sponsored by the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance (OUA) in Mali, West Africa. Ethnographic methods are employed to determine the outreach, impact, and sustainability of the program. Findings indicate that program specifications increasingly limit participation to an established and primarily male clientele. Both male and female borrowers reported higher earnings and greater contribution to household expenses; however, access to credit for women is not associated with improved status. The prospect for administrative and financial sustainability of the program is undermined by a weak and ineffective educational component.

Original Publication Citation

Outreach, Impact and Sustainability of Informal Banking: A Case Study of the Ouelessebougou Utah Alliance Microenterprise Program in Mali, Yodit Solomon, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Addie Fuhrman, Carol Ward, and Kacey Widdison-Jones, Journal of Developing Societies, Vol. 18, No. 4 (2002): 290-314

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2002-12-01

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5654

Publisher

Journal of Developing Societies

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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