Summer training in

Project Concern International

Koushik Sevana RajuRoll No. 37

IIHMR - PGDHM

About PCI• Non profit health and humanitarian aid

organisation• Mission

– Prevent disease– Improve community health– Promote sustainable development

• Areas of focus– HIV/AIDS– Polio eradication– Orphaned and vulnerable children– Economic empowerment of women

What did I do in PCI

• Field visits– Drop in centres at Nizammudin and Red Fort

• Secondary research• Facilitated in report writing• Questionnaire deployment• Attended training for microfinance mobile

application

Key learning

• Development of a research proposal• Proper report writing skills• Formulation of a structured questionnaire• Data analysis skills• Practical exposure – Out of classroom

experience

Project title

A STUDY ON CONNECTING INDIA IN DISCONNECTING POVERTY – AN EVALUATION OF THE MICROFINANCE MOBILE APPLICATION

Introduction• Microfinance Institutions [MFI]• Need for microfinance in India• Loan officers• Mobile technology in India• Connecting India to disconnect poverty

[CIDP]

Problem Statement • Shortfalls in MFI operations

– Manual work– Time consuming– High operational costs

Rationale• Gap between the clients and MFI• Mobile as a medium for information

exchange• Customize microfinance mobile services

Review of Literature• Katsushi Imai et al [2006]

– “Can microcredit help improve the health of poor women?”• Healthcare delivery information

• Dr. Anita Mehta– “Rural women entrepreneurship in India” – Its

challenges• Ignorance of new technology• Lack of technological infrastructure

• WHO [2011]– “New horizons for health through mobile

technologies”• Evaluation is necessary for better quality

results

Study Objectives• General Objective

– To do a midline evaluation of the CIDP microfinance mobile application in Pondicherry

• Specific Objectives– To analyze the mobile behaviour of loan officers– To find out the compatibility of the loan officers

with the mobile application– To figure out the main challenges of the technical

aspects of the application

MethodologyStudy design

Cross sectional studyStudy location

REAL microfinance services, Pondicherry

Sampling technique• Ten loan officers were investigated [Study

population]• Total number of application users in existence

are only ten• These ten are appropriate for the study and

have the expertise in this area

ToolsQuestionnaire – Close ended

Variables• Age and education of loan officers• Number of clients• Number of villages covered• Finance related informationQuestionnaire deployment• MFI mobile application training at PCI• Questionnaire converted into Tamil• Hard copy received and analyzed

KEY FINDINGS

• 80% of officers have a client number of more than 500 members

• 50% LO’s are less than 30 years old

• No loan officer is illiterate– 50% officers are

graduates

• 80% of respondents use mobile internet

8

2

Internet datapack usage

YesNo

• Only 2 officers were fully satisfied by network coverage

• 2 LO’s use the application in Tamil

• 90% of the officers are satisfied with the medium of communication

Never Upto 25% areas

26% - 50% areas

> 50% areas

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7Difficulty in network coverage

Loan Officers

• 90% of LO’s received the transaction updates without fail

• 70% claim that the mobile information matches with manual records

• 70% responded positively for faster information exchange Yes No Not sure

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Faster exchange of information

Technical aspects• 90% say fonts are

clear• Technical errors in

60% of the respondents

• 70% claim the application never faced a fallout

• None of the respondents were dissatisfied

Moderately satisfied

Satisfied Extremely satisfied

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Satifaction levels of loan of -ficers

Discussion

Challenges met• Reduced average time

spent for a client – [5 min per client

usually]• Less distance travelled

– [20 kms on an average - earlier]

• Sufficient training• Proper follow up• High motivation levels

Opportunities• Network coverage – not

satisfactory• Installation issues for

the local language version

• Different terminologies from manual records

• Good reach in rural areas by MFI

• LO’s interested in learning the application

Recommendations

• Sim card compatibility– Enhance connectivity

• Mobile application for clients• Full module of the application• Frequent follow up• Implementing in GSM and android mobiles• IT department to be accountable

References• NABARD 2009-10, ‘Status of Microfinance in India

2009-10”, Head office Bandra Mumbai, pp. I,IV.• Ganapathy and Aditi Ravindra (2008) Bellagio Italy

“mHealth: A Potential Tool for Health Care Delivery in India” Making the e-Health connection PP 2-3.

• Atanu Garai (2011) “Role of mHealth in rural health in India and opportunities for collaboration” ICCP Technology Foresight Forum: Developments in Mobile Communication, Paris, pp 1 and 4.

• Tiwari P (2010) School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New zealand “Providing healthcare services in rural India: Innovative application of mobile technology” Health Care and Informatics Review Online Vol.14, No.2, pp 3-9.

THANK YOU