Field training

The last week has been busy, spending time with staff at both of the MicroLoan pilot branches doing lots of field based training. There are some questions that are still causing a bit of a problem (that dreaded chair question!) but we’re making progress. I’m hoping by next week the branch staff will be carrying out the piloting activity solo, though I’ll still be in very regular contact to talk through any issues, and will be doing quality control checks on a number of interviewees. The photo shows me with Olivine from the Kasungu branch interviewing a client in her home.



Getting to the clients’ homes has proved tricky at times. The rains have made the roads almost impassable at times, and my off-road driving skills (which were non-existent a couple of weeks ago) have certainly been tested! I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to negotiate the roads, water and mud with no ill consequences!



Photo: one of my driving challenges!

Floods, canoes and bridges – all in a day’s work

Although the field staff at Kasungu and Mchinji branches are now carrying out the piloting activity solo, I’m still on hand of course in case of questions or problems. For example, recently Olivine (the Kasungu branch manager) had travelled a large number of kms to interview some new clients in their homes, only to find the area was flooded and their homes totally inaccessible. The situation was rescued though, and Olivine was able to replace the original new clients with others that were less likely to involve the need for a canoe!

To make sure that everything’s going as it should, and also to see whether there are any major differences between clients being interviewed in the home and in groups, I’ve been doing field spot checks. It’s still very early days so no firm conclusions yet, but the checks have illustrated some other complications…such as what to do when we’re asking questions about a client’s home but she lives part of the time near her field to carry out farming activity and part of the time in town to do business. These are the sorts of bridges you can only cross once you start the piloting! (The answer to the question is, ask the questions about the place she considers to be her main home.)

A focused song and dance!

Although we’re speaking to women one-on-one in their homes about what they think about the training MicroLoan Foundation provides, we also wanted to get a feel of how a focus group discussion on the same topic would work. The discussion was facilitated by Martha Nkhoma, the operations manager, who got everyone feeling relaxed by starting off with a group song and dance! She then sat in amongst the women, and guided what turned out to be a very lively discussion. The women were clear about what they liked – understanding the importance of business diversification, knowing MicroLoan’s procedures for example – but were likewise vocal about what they thought needed improvement. This included more focus on ongoing training and more detailed understanding of how to plan their business and keep accurate financial records.

These sorts of discussions are great for letting conversation take their own course, giving clients the opportunity to voice all manner of issues and ensure they have a chance to ask any burning questions. Not having met Martha before, the women were also delighted to have the opportunity to have quality time discussing issues important to them with the operations manager.



Picture: the group warms up with a dance (Martha in the centre in black skirt)

Loan Officers get to grips with the PPI

The MicroLoan Foundation Loan Officers involved in the piloting activity have had their first taste of the PPI (Progress out of Poverty Index) live in the field on real clients! The day was rainy and all three Loan Officers, 19 clients and me crammed ourselves into the group chairlady’s small front room. It proved that the questionnaire isn’t as simple as it may seem (see ‘What is a chair?’!) as there were quite a few discrepancies between the Loan Officers’ answers. We are undeterred however – more training sessions and we’ll get everyone on the same page!


Photo: two of the Mchinji branch team focus on the PPI

Workshopping MLF’s social mission

We’ve just held a workshop with 22 MicroLoan Foundation staff, including management staff from the UK and Malawi, as well as Malawi’s Regional Managers, key Branch Managers and a couple of Loan Officers to give a flavour of what’s happening on the ground. The purpose of the workshop was to get everyone discussing what they think the social mission of MicroLoan Foundation is, and how this links in to the piloting activity we’re doing (which is focusing on social assessment, training feedback and getting a sense of why clients are exiting).

Lots of animated discussions were had and the levels of enthusiasm were really encouraging. The group agreed that MLF social mission is all about client empowerment, the sustainability of the client and MLF, and the requirement to focus on the poorest clients. Trying to get to the bottom of what MLF needs to do better to achieve this mission included listening better to clients’ suggestions, improving training for clients and Loan Officers, being more aware of exactly what the poverty status of clients is so we know if we’re really reaching the poorest, and developing social targets for the organisation to assess itself against. The pilots I’m working on will directly link into these areas of development.

It was a powerful day, and inspiring to see how everyone understood the various issues at hand, and to have the opportunity to incorporate their suggestions into the ongoing piloting activity.

What is a chair?

No, the muzungu in Kasungu is not getting philosophical! The chair question one of many issues that I was discussing yesterday with the Branch Manager and two Loan officers of Mchinji branch, our second pilot location. They’re going to be doing the PPI (Progress out of Poverty Index) in a group setting, compared to Kasungu branch where we’re testing it in the home setting.

Martha Nkhoma, the Operations Manager, and I were training the branch staff in how carry out the questionnaires that make up the three pilots (social assessment including the PPI, training feedback and exit surveys). One of the PPI questions asks, ‘does your household own a chair, table, upholstered chair, sofa set or coffee table?’. On the face of it this looks like quite a simple question, right? Not so much. We have to define what constitutes a household (does a relative who stays every so often count? what about children who are away at boarding school? or orphans being cared for in the home?). Then, silly as it sounds, we have to define what a chair is. It has to have a back, not be a stool or bench, it has to be functional and not lying broken in a corner. Quote of the day at this point is “if you can sit in it, then it’s a chair. If it’s a pile of sticks then it’s not a chair.” And so it goes on, with definitions for an upholstered chair, coffee table etc. The details of data collection are complex and it’s important the front line staff understand not only the intricacies, but comprehend the bigger picture of why we’re doing this so they can explain it to the clients.

Martha and I came away from the day’s training activity feeling positive. The staff were engaged and asked searching questions. The next step is for the staff to test their new knowledge in the field and for me to discuss any potential problems and feedback with them before the pilots can kick off.

Celebrating the contributions of MicroLoan Foundation clients on International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day MicroLoan Foundation held a discussion group of four clients from Nkhamenya town to talk about issues that are important to them as businesswomen. The attendees are all on their sixth loan cycle. They are:
• Febbie Chaponda who sells second hand clothes and bakes and sells samosas.
• Magret Msimuko who runs a small restaurant selling rice or nsima with meat and vegetables.
• Witness Banda who runs a grocery selling soap, oil, rice, flour and sugar.
• Sella Mkwewe who is a tailor.

When it comes to the differences that MicroLoan Foundation has made to their lives, the women are clear: the profits from their businesses have helped them pay for their children’s school fees, buy better clothes for their family and make improvements to their homes. In fact, Febbie says that it was through seeing a MicroLoan client’s success in her community that she herself first joined as a client. Now, the women agree, it is up to them as MicroLoan clients to act as mentors to others ‘who don’t know business so that they learn to do business to help their families’. The contributions they have been able to make in their homes and communities give the women great pride. Febbie says she was able to pay for her children’s school books recently as her husband’s salary had not yet come through. Witness adds, ‘although it is the hungry period [i.e. before the harvest, when people struggle the most to feed their families] I have been able to buy maize and a big pot for cooking nsima!’.

Although women in their communities look up to them as MicroLoan clients, the clients also continue to aspire to be like other successful businesswomen in their communities. Sella explains, ‘there is a woman in Nkhamenya who owns a wholesale business. I admire her very much because her business is expanding and she owns a number of houses that she rents out. She is a leader. When there is a funeral she helps people by giving them food and money’.

These are just a snapshot of a few of the women who work hard to run their small businesses in order to improve their lives, and those of their families and communities. We celebrate their contributions and achievements this International Women’s Day!



Photo: (left to right) Febbie, Magret, Witness and Sella