1. CHALLENGES:
CONFRONTING THE
ISSUES WOMEN FACE IN
MICROFINANCE
Roshaneh Zafar, Founder & MD Kashf
Foundation

2. Introducing Kashf Foundation
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18 years as Change Agents in economic
empowerment arena
Trendsetters in MF industry in Pakistan
Built around the notion of solution building for
family and community security.
Heavily focused on responsible finance
through an evolving business development &
women’s entrepreneurship
Principles of accountability include shared
values reciprocity, respect, transparency, trust
& reliability.

3. Barriers to Women’s economic
participation
• Women lack
access to banks/
financial
services
• Women focus on
low return based
activities
Financial
Legal/
Political
• Women do not
own land and
other assets
Economic
Social
Cultural
• Women are not
literate.
Women’s
mobility is
constrained

4. What does research show? 1/2
Components
Hypothesis
Results
1. Entrepreneurial
Capacity
 Business Management capacity
Sufficient but
limited
 Financial Management capacity
Absent
 Vocational skills
Obsolete
 Product/service quality
Absent
 Labor costing/pricing
Basic
 Knowledge of product cycle development
Basic
 Marketing
Word-of-mouth
 Business assets (equipment, tools, etc.)
Sufficient for
informal sector
 Physical assets (land, rented space, etc.)
Home-based
 Financial assets (credit, savings, etc.)
Insufficient
 Labor
Family/
neighbors
2. Access to
Capital

5. What does research show? 2/2
Components
Hypothesis
Results
3. Access to markets
 Business networks
Localized to
community
 Competitors
Highly saturated
 Market outreach
Fixed suppliers/
intermediaries
 Barriers within household
‘Triple burden’
 Barriers within community
Mobility restricted
 Barriers within market
Gender
restrictions
4. Social barriers

6. The Role of Microfinance in
Women’s Economic Participation
(1/2)
Individual
Financial
Barriers
Women lack
access to banks/
financial services
in own right
Economic
Barriers
Women undertake
activities which
produce low
returns;
Women have a
heavy domestic
workload
Household
MF Strategies to address these
constraints
• Designing pro women strategies
that reflect the concept of agency
and removes the need for physical
collateral.
• Building affordable delivery
mechanims that allow procuring
loans in proximity to the
community
• Promoting and providing
affordable and accessible savings
Gender division of • Introducing cashflow backed loan
labor, unequal
products products that involve a
access and control
feel-good approach and also cater
of land, labor and
to the financial needs of women
inputs unequal
led businesses
control of joint
• Providing business development
household
services
produce and
• Helping create value chains
income stream
Men control cash
income, men have
specific
expenditure
patterns

7. Systemized
Financial
Education
Gender
Trainings
Women
Entrepreneur
s ‘ Council
Media Campaign
Business
Incubation
Labs
Social
Theater
Gender
Empowerment
Basic Financial
Literacy
Business Development
Services
Financial Education
Microfinance Plus Activities
Public Service
Messages
TV Series on
entrepreneurs
hip

8. Key aspects of Responsible
Finance
Productive Enterprise
Lending
Financial Education
Business Incubation
Support
Client Grievance System
Consumer Protection Code

9. Thank you!