Women and Micro-Finance Programs
Andrea Luisa C. Anolin
Introduction
Filipino women traditionally do not have access to resources. This condition is brought about by the traditional notion that a woman's place is in the home. This limits their activities to those that revolve around the household or in the so-called reproductive sphere thereby limiting women's participation in decisions made outside of their homes.
Thus, mired in a situation of poverty and marginalization, the provision of socal credit to women was an attempt at poverty alleviation and the opening of new avenues for organizing women and harnessing their potentials. In the latter part of the 1980s, a trend emerged towards increasing women's participation in socio-economic work. The prevailing development framework at that time considered women and their work as being outside of the development process.
But all this is changing. Women's contribution to the development process, whether the work that they do is in the productive or reproductive spheres or both, is slowly being recognized. The provision of micro-finance for women is now also regarded not only as an instrument for poverty alleviation but also for women's empowerment.
This case study intends to find out the impact micro-finance programs and services have on the lives of women and how it affects women’s participation in political life and the quality of political governance by local government units / agencies, if any.
This case study focuses on the experiences of the Women’s Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization [WEDPRO], Inc. and the Maligaya Women’s Multi-Purpose Transport and Service Cooperative [MWMPTSC] in providing micro-finance services to its beneficiaries and the resulting encounters they have had with local government units in the course of implementing these programs. Three research methodologies were utilized in this study: review of literature, conduct of focus group discussion, and key informant interview. Fieldwork for the research was conducted from August to November 1999 in three areas: Quezon City, Caloocan City, and Angeles City.
Summary of the Findings
There are changes evident in the lives of the women beneficiaries of the micro-finance programmes of WEDPRO and the MWMPTSC. At the individual level, their involvement has increased their self-confidence as a result of their interaction with various individuals and groups connected with the provision of socio-economic services. Their involvement has also given them the opportunity to expand their activities outside their homes, thus increasing their mobility and sphere of participation. They have also become more aware of concerns affecting women in their communities and women's issues in general. At the community level, their involvement has earned them the reputation of being pro-women. Several of the women have translated their increased awareness of women's issues into informal activities in support of women in their neighborhood. Some have even engaged in activities which are considered to be political in nature such as rallies, demonstrations, etc. Women beneficiaries with leadership skills have stepped up and become more active in the various activities of the organization. Some of these activities have given them the opportunity to relate with various government offices / officials.
In terms of its relations with local government units, both organizations have had periodic encounters with them in the course of providing socio-economic services to women. Some of these encounters have been in the area of accessing funds for the implementation of socio-economic programs while others have to do more with accessing technical services these agencies may have which are relevant to both organizations' micro-finance programs. Their more sustained involvement with the local government is more in the area of GO-NGO cooperation or collaboration on issues affecting the community. In WEDPROs case however, the setting up of the GAD Council and their inclusion in it puts them in a position to programmatically utilize local government funds for the implementation of their socio-economic activities for women. The presence of WEDPRO and the MWMPTSC, along with other CSOs, have prompted local governments to set up mechanisms to harness their participation in policy decision making.
Providing Assistance to Women in the Entertainment Industry: The Case of WEDPROs Integrated Socio-Economic Program
WEDPRO was established in 1989 by eight women activists -- Flor Caagusan, Rosario Nabong - Cabardo, Celia O. Carlos, Aurora Javate - de Dios, Lynn Frances Lee, Virginia Miralao, Raquel Edralin - Tiglao, and Aida F. Santos. These women, all members of KALAYAAN [Katipunan ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan] at that time, the first openly feminist organization in the Philippines, had been involved in the movement for social change for more than a decade.
WEDPRO initially started out as a project team within KALAYAAN. At that time, the opportunity to access funds from the government through the Legislative - Executive Bases Council [LEBC], under the Office of the President, to draft a conversion plan for the women in Angeles and Olongapo, presented itself to the organization. KALAYAAN, being a membership organization and not an NGO, organized some of its members to be able to access the funds. From its beginnings as a project team within KALAYAAN, WEDPRO came into being as a result of the momentum generated by the project.
In 1990, WEDPRO was formally commissioned by the LEBC to conduct a study on possible alternative livelihood opportunities for women in the ‘entertainment’ industry in Angeles City and Olongapo in the event of the pull-out of the US military. As a result of the research, WEDPRO came out with a two-volume report entitled “Alternative Livelihood and Human Resource Development for Women in the Entertainment Sector” which it submitted to the LEBC. The report documented the situation of women entertainers living in the vicinity of Clark Air Base in Angeles City and Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City. The report also contained feasibility studies for livelihood and human resource development for the women. The government, however, never got around to implementing the recommendations of the study.
Feeling a moral obligation to do its share for the women who took part and were supposed to benefit from the study, WEDPRO developed the Integrated Socio-Economic Program [ISEP] in Angeles City. The program was a small-scale implementation in Angeles City of the results of the study. It combined the provision of micro-enterprise services to women while at the same time making them aware of the issues they confront as women through educational discussions. Attendance in these educational discussions such as sex and gender, violence against women, sexuality, etc. was a pre-requisite for the processing of the women's loan application.
In the course of implementing the ISEProgram, WEDPRO has established relations with the local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD]. However, WEDPRO itself will be the first to admit that their encounter with DSWD has been limited to the provision of technical assistance in implementing some of the activities of the program. Agency support does not seem to emanate from the framework of the conversion program but rather that of providing technical assistance to requesting parties.
While the initial encounter of KALAYAAN with the national government spurred the formation of WEDPRO, the latter's ten year history shows that their subsequent interaction or engagement with the government in implementing the ISEProgram has been on a piecemeal basis. The nature of WEDPROs engagement with the local government can best be described as intermittent rather than programmatic. When queried as to whether they actively engaged the local government in the implementation of the recommendations of the report, Ms. Natividad said that WEDPRO only went as far as presenting the report to the local government. Nothing concrete came out of it as far as the local government taking on the responsibility of implementing the report's recommendations. On hindsight, Ms. Natividad acknowledges that the organization could have done more to actively engage or pressure government to do its share in implementing, or at least forging a partnership with WEDPRO in implementing the conversion plan.
Since institutionalizing the ISEProgram in the early 1990s, WEDPRO has provided socio-economic assistance to over 200 women. Most of the funds for the program has come from international funding agencies with the execption of the fund provided by the office of then Senator Roberto Tañada for a piggery project.
From Cleanliness to Access: The Case of the Maligaya Women's Multi-Purpose Transport and Service Cooperative
The MWMPTSC is a women’s cooperative based in Bgy. 177, Zone 15, Capital Parkland, Camarin, Lagro, Caloocan City. It started out as the Maligaya Women’s Club [MWC], an association founded by 158 mothers in the area in 1990. The MWC was originally engaged in community activities such as cleanliness and orderliness. They were also into small-time fundraising activities such as raffles and bingo socials. The MWC was led by its President, Adelaida Beliganio [more popularly known as Ka Adeling], a long-time organizer of KaBaPa or Kapisanan ng Bagong Pilipina.
In 1991, the MWC submitted a proposal to then City Mayor Macario “Boy” Asistio requesting for a multi-purpose center to be constructed in their area. Their request was granted and soon after, former Mayor Asistio sent them the materials needed to construct their multi-purpose center. Construction of the center became a community undertaking as club members and their husbands all pitched in to help build the center.
Soon after, the idea to transform the club into a credit cooperative began to take shape upon the urgings of its members who wanted to undertake more than just cleanliness activities. In a General Assembly meeting of the MWC held in May 1991, the membership decided that the club would be transformed into the Maligaya Women's Club Credit Cooperative [MWCCC].
During the period that the capital was being raised, Ka Adeling, who then became Chairperson of the cooperative, made use of the connections she had established while she was still with KaBaPa to link up with the Cooperative Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. [CFPI]. In July 31, 1992, the MWCCC was registered with the Cooperative Development Authority with the assistance of CFPI.
It was not long after that they were able to secure loans from the National Council of Women in the Philippines and from the congressional development fund of Representative Nene Asistio Henson. Through the networking efforts of Ka Adeling, the cooperative was able to secure funds for their credit program as well as a grant for a training project worth P 374,500. From there, they were able to secure more funds for other training projects as well as for the purchase of two units each of Tamarax FX and tricycles. In March 1997, MWCCC amended their Constitution and By-Laws to change the name of the cooperative to the Maligaya Women’s Multi-Purpose Transport and Service Cooperative.
Similar to WEDPROs ISEP, MWMPTSCs program is not merely limited to the extension of loans. The cooperative also provides trainings and venues for discussion of women’s issues to its members. These provide the members with the opportunity to develop their social consciousness and critical thinking. They have participated in actions in relation to local and national issues. The cooperative also actively relates with various local government units, NGOs and national formations. The MWMPTSC is accredited by the local government as well as the Caloocan City Development Council as a people’s organization. They are also affiliated with the National Council of Social Development as well as a member of the National Council of Women in the Philippines. They are also part of the Caloocan City Cluster for Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances, now known as the Metro North Cluster. It is composed of local government agencies and NGOs found in the areas of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela. In recognition of the outstanding work that the cooperative has done for the women in their community and for the cooperative sector, the Caloocan City Council awarded them with the Gintong Award Kilusang Kooperatiba in 1998. They also actively support and participate in City Health Department sponsored activities in the community such as the National Immunization Day, medical missions, and provision of medicines to the residents. They also established and manage a day-care center in partership with the local Department of Urban, Social and Industrial Relations [DUSIRS] of the DSWD.
Beneficiaries of the credit program of the MWMPTSC are the urban poor women of Bgys. 177 and 178, Zone 15, Capitol Parkland Camarin, Caloocan City. Most of the members of the cooperative are homemakers. Prior to their involvement with the cooperative, they stayed mostly at home and were not involved in remunerated work. To while away their time and to augment the family’s income, some of the women set-up their own micro-enterprise [candy-making, sari-sari store, etc.] with the help of the cooperative.
Micro-Finance Programs and Women's Empowerment
In her paper on women's empowerment and micro-finance programmes, Linda Mayoux listed the the following indicators used to determine the social / political impacts of micro-finance programmes in existing gender impact studies include
- increased confidence and assertiveness
- role in household decision-making
- household and community perception of women's role
- access to networks
- wider political activity
Over the years of providing socio-economic programs to women, WEDPRO and the MWMPTSC have had varying experiences in terms of the impact these programs have on the lives of the women. Before their involvement with the MWMPTSC, most of their members activities were confined to the household. "Nasa bahay lang," in the words of one participant in the focus group discussion. It reflects women's low valuation of the work that they do inside the house. Some of them engaged in their own micro-enterprise such as the establishment of a small sari-sari store or production of ice-candy. WEDPROs beneficiaries, on the other hand, have had prior work experiences in the entertainment establishments in Angeles City.
Women beneficiaries and members of both organizations have developed higher self-esteem and increased self-confidence because of their involvement in both organizations. They cite their attendance in educational discussions on women's issues and skills training on simple business management and livelihood as one of the reasons for this change. The fact also that they were brought together to learn about the situation of women and the various issues confronting them and have the opportunity to start their own enterprise proved to be an affirmation.
Because of the program, the members and officers of the MWMPTSC said that they were no longer confined to their homes. Their involvement with the cooperative paved the way for their participation in activities in and outside of the communities. They are able to attend trainings, represent the cooperative in meetings with networks, participate in mass actions addressing current social issues, among others.
Membership in the cooperative also provided the women with another venue for self-expression. Discussions, trainings, seminars, networking activities have given them the opportunity to relate and exchange ideas with other women.
For WEDPROs beneficiaries, there is an increased awareness on issues affecting women. And whatever knowledge or new information they acquire from discussions on violence against women, women's human rights, etc, some of the women make it a point to share it with women in their communities. As a result, they have been identified as sympathetic to the plight of women.
One encouraging result is that women beneficiaries of WEDPROs programs have encouraged other women in their communities to become involved in the activities of the barangay. One beneficiary even shared that the barangay captain in her community now makes it a point to consult her when it comes to projects for women.
But the women have also encountered skepticism from officials of the barangay in their effort to do something for women in their communities. One woman's efforts to start a mother's club in her area was not supported by officials of the barangay because of the notion that it will entail money from the barangay, "ano na naman yan, pera."
Their involvement with the organization also opened opportunities for them to participate not only in community activities but also those activities done outside of their communities. Some of the beneficiaries of WEDPROs programs even became volunteers of the organization. Whenever there are training and educational opportunities, WEDPRO sends the women who have displayed leadership potentials to attend. A WEDPRO beneficiary regularly attends meetings convened by the Council’s Committee on Women to discuss the GAD fund. Some of the beneficiaries of WEDPROs programs who have become leaders of NAGKA have been actively doing advocacy work on the issue of prostitution.