In the year 1996 Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) came forward with credit support under its Rural Micro Credit Program in partnership with GUP and financially supporting GUP Cooperative and Credit Program by providing credit under the various programs, such as RMC, MFTS, LRP, SAHOS, ASM, EFRRAP, Seasonal Loan and ME. The IGAs are mostly cow rearing, beef fattening, goat rearing, mini hatchery, rice trading, Paddy cultivation, small business, fish trading, shopkeeping, van pulling, carpentry, fire-wood trading, furniture business, hawking, etc
Microfinance sector was first established in 1970s in Bangladesh and its main goal was to reduce rural poverty by providing microcredit loans for non-crop activities such as trading, raising livestock, poultry etc.
Gono Unnayan Prochesta started Income Generating Activities under the Cooperative and Credit Programme. At the beginning, the loan Programme of Gono Unnayan Prochesta was termed as Cooperative and Credit Programme,but now the programme is renamed as Microfinance Programme.
Microfinance Programme has aimed to provide livelihood options for the resource-poor individuals in the community, to improve their socio-economic conditions and reduce poverty by mobilizing their resources. Initially, Gono Unnayan Prochesta’s own fund was invested to subsidize the establishment of a Credit Support Programme to a limited extent. Now, the Microfinance Programme is a key component that Gono Unnayan Prochesta operates for poverty alleviation and empowering poor women in its working area on a larger scale. It mobilizes the available resources for those who do not have access to resources from commercial banks. Presently Gono Unnayan Prochesta is operating its
Microfinance Programme through 48 branchers in 8 Districts namely Madaripur,Shariatpur,Gopalganj,Faridpur,Chottogram,Cox’sBazar,Barisal and Bandorban.
The strategic objectives of Gono Unnayan Prochesta’s Microfinance Programme are : Financial Inclusion and Capacity Development.
Financial Inclusion
Gono Unnayan Prochesta makes resources available to the unserved people excluded from the traditional banking system to start or run small businesses for their economic development and improved livelihood.Gono Unnayan Prochesta promotes financial inclusion, so that underserved individuals and small businesmen can have access to valuable and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs and are delivered responsibly and sustainably.
Capacity Development
Gono Unnayan Prochesta’s capacity building activities focus on shoring up sustainability, improving governance, supporting collaboration and/or strengthening infrastructure. All have a common goal: augmenting the skills, resources and abilities that allow Gono Unnayan Prochesta’s members to grow and blossom.
From 1996, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) has been operating its Rural Micro Credit Programme (Jagoron, Agrosor and Buniad) in the names of Micro-Enterprise (ME), Ultra Poor Programme (Buniad), Seasonal Loan (SL), Agricultural Sector Micro-Credit (ASM), Microfinance Technical Support Project (MFTS), Microenterprise Development Project (MDP), MDP-AF(Additional Financing) etc. Following that, Palli Karma- Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) renamed the components Jagoron, Agrasor, Buniad, MDP, MDP-AF and Sufolon in order to enhance the customers’ economic situation by including them in various Income Generating Activities in the sectors like agriculture and livestock development.
The Microfinance Programme’s core activities are divided into three categories. These are:
1. Samity Formation and Development.
2. Savings Collection and Mobilization.
3. Credit Operations for Income Genaration.
Loan Products
- Buniad (Loan for Ultra Poor)
- Jagoron (General Loan)
- Agrosor (Microenterprise Loan)
- Agrosor-MDP
- Sufolon (Agriculture Sector Loan)
- Somriddhi Programme (IGA Loan)
- Livelihood Improvement Loan (LIL)
- Asset Creation Loan (ACL)
- Livelihood Restoration Loan (LRL)
Types of Members’ Savings
- General Savings
- Voluntary Savings
- Monthly Savings Plan