Microfinance
Australia is supporting Bangladesh’s largest NGO, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), to deliver the NorthWest Microfinance Expansion Project (NWMEP). The project is assisting BRAC to expand access to financial services, including credit, for nearly 23,000 households in northwest districts in Bangladesh. The borrowers of NWMEP are women from vulnerable households in seven districts (Gaibandha, Rangpur, Thakurgoan, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Panchgarh and Dinajpur). of the northwest Bangladesh which have the highest concentration of poverty. The borrowers invest the loans received from the project in farming and non-farming activities. This way they are self-employed and their income increases. As a result, they can afford to send their children to schools, and improved hygiene, sanitation and nutrition practices lead to a better quality of life. Since the female members of the households receive the loans and they are actively involved in earning income for their families through investment of the loans they have greater participation in decision-making and control over resources.
• Contribution (2002-03) - A $ 4,628,541
• Duration: 2002-2007
• Contractor: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)