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