WOMEN AS POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES OF THE MALAWI MUDZI FUND - AN EVALUATION OF A PILOT CREDIT SCHEME FOR THE RURAL POOR

This dissertation is the result of a study which sought to evaluate the Malawi Mudzi Fund (MMF) activities and suggest the redesign features of the organisation. It summarises ideas and experiences of borrowers., waiting borrowers., non-participants, village headper·sons and members of staff of the MMF on the organisation's activities collected from October - December, 1993. It is demonstrated in this dissertation that MMF succeeded in extending its credit facilities to the rural poor, particularly women, who had little access to credit. This was so because prior·ity was given to people with less than one hectare of land and those with litt·le aecess to credit institutions. Consequently, dema.nd for MMF credit increased and women utilized their productive skills because of credit. It is also demonstrated that although female borrowers have benefited from MMF credit, there is room for improvement in the orga.nizational structure and modes of the
functioning of the lending institution.