CENTRE FOR SELF-HELP DEVELOPMENT

Institute of micro-finance and cooperative development.

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The policy and program including the audit of the Centre have been unanimously passed by the 31st General Assembly.

Convoked 31st General Assembly of CSD: Emphasized on Promotion of Social Entrepreneurship and Expansion of Microfinance Reach to Hard-Core Poor
The 31st General Assembly of the Centre for Self-help Development was convoked on Monday, 26th, December 2022 (11th Paush 2079). The General Assembly emphasized on increasing entrepreneurship through the microfinance program and expanding microfinance access to poor families by teaming up with its member organizations, partners and stakeholders to work with priority. In addition, the General Assembly has decided to continue the concept of three zeros (zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions) and also to prioritize micro-entrepreneurship and the Eco-friendly Self-help Village Development Program hand in hand.

The chairman of the centre and chairperson of the assembly, Mr Shankar Man Shrestha, presented the annual report of the Centre for the fiscal year 2021/022 (2078/79) and briefed on the income and expenditure statement, conducted activities and also on the proposed program for the fiscal year 2022/023 (2079/80). On this occasion, chairman Shrestha informed that in collaboration with the Yunus Center Bangladesh, Nepal Forum was organized on the occasion of 11th Social Business Day and World Social Business Summit successfully to open the floor for the debate on social business promotion and building a new civilization. On these forums, microfinance sector leaders, policymakers, microfinance members and other international personalities including Professor Muhammad Yunus appeared in a commonplace and conferred the past, present and future strategies of microfinance.

Similarly, Mr. Shrestha updated that CSD has completed 19 online webinars, dialogue series, interactions and workshops on various topics focused on the activities in the field of microfinance and in which 2572 microfinance practitioners had participated. He also mentioned, “CSD has well-versed the microfinance workforces about the best practices in the microfinance sector in the last fiscal year by organizing 3 national and 3 international study/exposure visits to a total of 80 microfinance members to observe the best practices inside and outside the country to acquaint new knowledge from them.” He further added, In the presence of about 800 people from 75 microfinance and cooperative organizations from Mechi to Mahakali, including microfinance members, managers, officials, employees, experts, policymakers and other stakeholders, the Third National Microfinance Members' Summit was organized successfully by making 11 points of the declaration.

He further added, “10 poor students from Shree Janajyoti Higher Secondary School of Surkhet district were provided with a total of Rs 3 lakhs scholarship and each student got Rs 30,000. Similarly, a total of 20 students of Shree Ram Secondary School Koshidekha, Kavrepalanchok studying in classes seven and eight were provided with 10 chicks per student with the aim to develop entrepreneurship and self-employment among students at the school level and it also succeded in realizing them about the opportunities of enterprises and Self-employment and in their own homes and villages.

According to Mr Shankar Man Shrestha, the Centre for Self-help Development has been already working on developing an “Eco-friendly Self-help village” at Dharpa Village of Bahrabise Municipality, Sindhupalchok district and Mashine Village of Chandragiri Municipality, Kathmandu district in collaboration with the Manushi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. and the Mahila Sahayogi Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd. respectively with technical support of the Centre for Rural Technology Nepal. He mentioned that these efforts are progressing in a positive manner. He said that in the approaching days, the Centre plans to focus on various activities related to training, dialogue, study/exposure visits, formation and promotion of the three-zero club, Eco-friendly Self-help village and entrepreneurship development.

On the instance of the policy and program presentation, chairman Shrestha stated, “To work according to the slogan of the 3rd National Microfinance Members Summit: ‘Let's expand enterprise to each household and reduce poverty to zero”, coordination with microfinance and Microfinance Cooperative institutions and other concerning agencies will be made to proceed forward. The Centre will take the initiative to organize microfinance member conference at the province level, organize awareness raising and skill development training to prepare the children of members as second-generation microfinance members for the development of micro-entrepreneurship, conduct studies/research and training and seminars related to the challenges faced in the microfinance sector.”

In the past three decades, the Center has conducted various projects and programs to improve the social and economic conditions of the backward communities, and poor class, especially the poor and backward women. On 1st January 1992 (17th of Poush, 2048), CSD started its work by conducting a community self-reliance development project in a remote region, Jumla district of Karnali, Nepal and in the year 1993 (2049), Swabalamban banking program was started in Siraha, Saptari and Udaypur in Eastern Terai as a pilot program. After the success of this program, with the objective of providing financial access to poor and disadvantaged women, the Swabalamban Laghubitta program has been expanded throughout the country. Swabalamban Laghubitta program which started in 1995 has been transformed into Swabalamban Lagubitta Bikas Bank (now Swabalamban Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd.) and has now expanded across the country. The Center for Self-help Development is the first institution to receive approval from the Nepal Rastra Bank to run microfinance programs for the underprivileged.

At present, workshops and conferences are also organized at the national and regional levels to develop awareness, ability, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship development. The Center for Self-help Development has been expanding its network by providing membership to MFIs and MF Cooperatives to foster microfinance services and also to sharpen the skills/ knowledge of officials of its member organisations.

 

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