Micro-Finance Services Program
Through Microfinance services, the economic condition of the extreme poor, landless and downtrodden people for improving their livelihood.
Program purposes:
- Easy access to credit program
- Increased income and investment of targeted beneficiaries in HHs and local market;
- Increased savings mentality of community
- Promote women empowerment, food security and change their life style and social status;
- Develop micro finance institution Source of Fund: Financial Institution and Own Fund.
Working Area: SWF operates micro finance services through 24 field offices in 27 Upazilas/Thanas of 8 districts in Bangladesh:
| Region | Number of Branch | Upazila/ Thana Coverage | District |
| Sunamganj Region | 6 | Tahirpur, Biswamberpur, Sunamganj Sadar, Derai, Jagannathpur, Chatak | Sunamganj |
| Sylhet Region | 4 | Companiganj, Sylhet Sadar, Golapganj, Kanaighat, Jokiganj | Sylhet |
| Dhaka Region | 4 | Wari, Gazipur | Dhaka and Gazipur |
| Comilla Region | 4 | Comilla Sadar, Debidwar, Chandina, Rangamati Sadar | Comilla and
Rangamati |
| Thakurgaon Region | 6 | Thakurgaon, Pirganj, Ranisangkail, Atwari, Panchagarh, Boda | Thakugaon and Panchagarh |
Key Achievements : Creating job opportunity, increasing investment of poor people, women are empowering in socio-economic sector, money is available for poor community, contributing in GDP growth, increasing income in the family, taking health services as per needed, changing the life style and status, community people are organized, increasing savings mentality, sustaining the organization etc.
Products of microfinance services
Sancred Welfare Foundation (SWF) has been providing the following services through microfinance program:
- Micro Credit for Rural Area:
- Agriculture loan for Male and Female
- Agriculture loan for Ultra-Poor People
- Agriculture loan for distressed women
- Agriculture loan for Entrepreneurs (Male/Female)
- Rural micro credit / Small business loan (Male/Female)
- Micro Credit for Urban Area:
- General loan for Women
- Small Business loan for Male
- Micro Entrepreneur loan for Male/female
Objectives of MFS program
- To create employment opportunity.
- To make fund available to technically skilled persons who suffers from lack of capital.
- To contribute in national production
- To increase investment in small and cottage industry
- To bring stability in the society by positive trend of economic condition through the MEL program.
- To introduce new concept of technology and also give assistance to implement for creating alternative entrepreneurs
Income generating projects that are implemented by group members:
SWF have been striving hard to combat the poverty situation of the community. To enhance the livelihood condition some of Income Generation Activities are undertaken in the community such as:
Agriculture farm, Vegetables cultivation, Dairy farm, Cow rearing, Beef fattening, Poultry/duck farm, Nursery, Fish culture, dry fish, power tiller, tractor, grocery shop, stationery, tea stall, restaurant, workshop/repairing shop, rickshaw, van, handicraft, industry for making bottle, Jamdani sharee weaving project, cottage industry, bamboo-cane project, ice-cream factory; mosquito-coil industry, candle industry, socks industry and small trading etc.
Positive changes of members & others in working area by this program
- Creating sources of income by getting loan in simple way
- Employment generation due to investment of money and social awareness
- Women participate in economic activities by taking loan.
- Increasing of saving trends.
- increased capability in project planning and implement it.
- Changing life and livelihood of the community
- Local market has expanded and also people’s purchasing capacity has been increased. It is the major impact of micro finance program
- Decreasing child and pregnant mother mortality rate
- Decreasing the rate of affected from different types of diseases by practicing hygienic and aware about prevention of diseases
- Increased awareness about environment, national & internationals special days, social justice, human rights, gender development etc.
- Increased empowerment of women and decreases domestic violence on women
Details of micro finance products by categories
| Product Name | Minimum loan size (Tk.) | Maximum loan size (Tk.) | Loan term (Year) | Repayment system | Interest rate
(Reducing balance method) |
| Agriculture loan for General women or
General loan for Women/ Rural/Urban micro credit |
5,000 (Rural)
10,000 (Urban) |
30,000 (Rural)
50,000 (Urban) |
01Year | Weekly, 46 installments out of 52 weeks | 24% in the declining method as per MRA rules |
| Agriculture loan for
Male / Small Business loan for (Male & women) |
20,000 (Rural)
30,000 (Urban) |
50,000 (Rural)
100,000 (Urban) |
01Year | Weekly, 46 installments out of 52 weeks | 24% in the declining method as per MRA rules |
| Agriculture loan for
Ultra-Poor People (UPP)
|
5,000 | 20,000 | 01 Year | Weekly, 45
installments out of 52 |
24% in the declining method as per MRA rules |
| Agriculture loan for Entrepreneurs (Male/Women) | 50,000 (Rural)
50,000 (Urban) |
2,00,000 (Rural)
5,00,000 (Urban) |
1-5
Years |
Monthly
|
24% in the declining method as per MRA rules |
| Agriculture loan for Distressed women | 2,000 (Rural) | 5,000
(Rural) |
02 Years | Monthly | 0 % |
| Grihayan loan | 50,000
(Rural) |
– | 3
Years |
Weekly/
Monthly |
5.5% as per Bangladesh Bank rules |
Savior for Haor Women Salma Begume by Duck Rearing
Salma Begum (35) of Rabarbari village in Dhekhar Haor area of Sunamgonj sodor upazila, Sunamgonj District.
We found several other women at the village feeding ducks. “Seeing Salma’s farm, I also bought four ducks nine months ago. The small income from duck rearing has helped to ease our struggle for survival,” said Shiddika Begum (32) of the same village, who stopped study after Class X due to poverty.
“Duck farming bears good prospect for people in haor areas” said local peoples of Rabarbari villag
Sancred Grihayan loan Project (low cost housing for vulnerable people) under the Microfinance Service Program
Sancred Grihayan (low cost housing for vulnerable people) project
The poor people who lives in the remotest area of Haor, flood affected area, river erosion area etc. and they have a piece of land only but they haven’t any house to live in with their family members and they have no capacity to build a house by their own cost. To protect those people from different disasters, the government of Bangladesh created a special fund named “Grihayan Tahabil” to distribute soft loan for them to build low cost house. A special cell of Bangladesh Bank implements the program through the NGO-MFIs and the cell of Bangladesh Bank always monitors the program. The government started this program since 1998
