Impact Studies

This section contains several impact studies conducted by Freedom from Hunger and its partners that demonstrate the impact of integrated services, for instance in the areas of women’s empowerment, economic capacity and security and children’s nutritional status. It also contains information about our most recent impact study on malaria module.

Freedom from Hunger: Microfinance Against Malaria Presentation (Impact Evaluation)

Microfinance can be used to fight malaria. Malaria is a threat to 40% of the world's population, killing 60% of the poorest 20% of the world, and slows down economic growth of African countries by 1.3%. A study was conducted in Ghana after implementation of an educational program, researching changes in knowledge of malaria, its treatment, and use of special preventative nets. It was found that the educational measures implemented increased each of these variables significantly. These findings will be applied to the Alternative Rural Marketing (ARM) strategy in Ghana.

Global Health Council Annual Conference- Microfinance: A Vehicle for Sustainable Health Protection Products and Service Linkages

This PowerPoint presentation details the purposes and goals of the Microfinance Against Malaria project. It strives to improve prevention, early detection and seek appropriate treatment of malaria as well as stimulate customer demand for better malaria prevention and treatment services from private and public providers. Malaria kills over a million children each year, and is not only a huge physical/emotional burden, but a financial one as well. Microfinance can be used to fight malaria due to the financial costs and losses accrued from episodes of malaria. Microfinance institutions can be set up to serve thousands of people and are capable of delivering financial services and linkage to health service products and providers, reducing morbidity and mortality due to malaria and other preventable and treatable diseases, and getting individuals equipped with information, resources and access to health services and products.

Microfinance Against Malaria: Pan-African Malaria Conference Presentation

This is a powerpoint presentation on Microfinance Against Malaria presented at the Pan-African Malaria Conference. The goal of the Microfinance Against Malaria project is to develop and disseminate a malaria curriculum reaching 500,000 community members in the first 3 years to improve prevention, early detection and appropriate treatment of malaria and stimulate customer demand for better malaria prevention and treatment services from private and public providers. Microfinance can be used as a vehicle for public health promotion. The West-African partnership is a joint effort between 5 Credit Union Federations and 10 Rural Banks. Together with these organizations, Freedom from Hunger hopes to increase awareness, detection, and especially prevention of malaria to better the lives of the population. Included in the presentation is a Ghana Impact Study and implementation of Credit with Education there.

Microfinance Against Malaria: Pan-African Malaria Conference Poster

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are not normally involved in the fight against malaria, yet have a strong incentive since it is a major reason for poor loan repayment. With support from the GSK African Malaria Partnership, MFIs in West Africa are offering financial services combined with malaria education to the very poor to: 1) improve prevention, detection and treatment in the home, and 2) stimulate demand for better treatment and prevention services from local providers—private and public. A study was done in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo and ten Rural Banks in Ghana to research the impact of such services. The methods of the study and benefits at the community, institutional, and national malarial community levels are detailed in this paper.

Credit with Education Impact Review No.3: Children’s Nutritional Status

Credit with Education Impact Review No. 2: Economic Capacity and Security

 

Mali Poverty Outreach Study of Kafo Jiginew and Nyesigiso Credit and Savings with Education Programs

Mali Poverty Outreach Study of the Kafo Jiginew and Nyesigiso Credit and Savings with Education Programs, by Anastase Nteziyaremye and Barbara MkNelly. Freedom from Hunger Research Paper 7 (May 2001). 97 pp. with summaries in English, French, and Spanish. (For sale by Freedom from Hunger. Price: $15.00 includes shipping and handling. There is an additional charge of $7.40 for overseas shipping.)

Impact Evaluation - PACT's Women's Empowerment Program in Nepal: A Savings and Literacy Led Alternative to Financial Institution Building

A study was done on the impact of PACT’s Women’s Empowerment Program (WEP) in rural Nepal due to seeming success of the program. In just one year, 6500 savings and credit programs (catering to 130,000 women) had been established; this is over twice the expected number for new organizations. Other achievements include recruitment, training, and enlistment of 240 Nepali organizations as WEP partners, spontaneous replication of existing groups without financial aid from WEP, and groups mobilizing over a million dollars for use for credit. Others are increased woman empowerment and literacy. WEP has thus shown that even in impoverished rural Nepal, the poor can save enough to make important investments in their businesses in less than two years and may be able to meet most of their needs for credit in four to six years. The reasons behind this success are investigated, comparing financial models, goals, and strategies to achieve these goals.

Credit with Education Impact Review No. 1: Women's Empowerment

 

Impact of Credit with Education on Mothers and Their Young Children's Nutrition: CRECER Credit with Education Program in Bolivia

 

Practitioner-Led Impact Assessment - A Test in Mali

This report documents the second field test of practitioner impact assessment tools designed as part of the PVO (Private Voluntary Organization)-NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) component of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s AIMS (Assessing the Impact of Microenterprises Services) Project. In an effort to develop low-cost, yet effective ways practitioner organizations can collect information and generate credible findings about the impact of their microenterprise programs, the PVO -NGO component of the AIMS project is charged with developing, testing and refining useful tools within the scope of practitioner resources, staff availability and expertise to implement and analyze their program impact. Basic results of the study showed that at the microenterprise level, a progression of changes for clients over time was evident. Qualitatively, clients were also more directly contributing to the basic needs of their households and felt they could better ensure their families’ health. Many other positive impacts are detailed. Practitioner-Led Impact Assessment: A Test in Mali, by Barbara MkNelly and Karen Lippold. International Journal of Economic Development, 1(2), 1999. (online journal: http://spaef.com/IJED_PUB/index.tml)

Impact of Credit with Education on Mothers and Their Young Children's Nutrition: Lower Pra Rural Bank Credit with Education Program in Ghana

 

Preliminary Evidence That Integrated Financial and Educational Services Can Be Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition

Preliminary Evidence that Integrated Financial and Educational Services Can Be Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition, by Barbara MkNelly, Chatree Watetip, Cheryl A. Lassen, and Christopher Dunford. Freedom from Hunger Research Paper No. 2 (April 1996). 27 pp. with summaries in English, French, and Spanish. (For sale by Freedom from Hunger. Price $6.00 includes US postage and handling. There is an additional charge of $3.80 for overseas shipping.)

Are Credit and Savings Services Effective Against Hunger and Malnutrition? A Literature Review and Analysis

 

Qualitative Impact Study of Credit with Education in Burkina Faso

Qualitative Impact Study of Credit with Education in Burkina Faso, by Michael Kevane. Freedom from Hunger Paper No. 3 (July 1996). 36 pp. with summaries in English, French, and Spanish. (For sale by Freedom from Hunger. Price $6.25 includes shipping and handling. There is an additional charge of $4.50 for overseas shipping).

Summary of Impact Review No.1: Women's Empowerment

This summary provides a 2-page overview of the key findings and discussion points of Freedom from Hunger's Impact Review on Women's Empowerment.

Microfinance Against Malaria Research Paper No. 8

This study presents the results of an impact evaluation conducted between 2004 and 2006 in Ghana to assess the impact of of Freedom from Hunger's malaria education.

Impact Review No. 5 Microfinance Against Malaria

 

Credit with Education Impact Review No. 4: Teaching Entrepreneurship