Impact of Cooperative Program on Women Empowerment (A Case Study of Hatemalo Saving and Credit Co-operative Ltd. Budhabare VDC, Jhapa-Nepal)

Abstract

Cooperative is the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs, who are too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. Especially in developing countries, cooperative enables very poor people to engage in self-employment projects that generate income, thus allowing them to improve the standard of living for themselves and their families. By extending small loans to poor individuals, cooperative enables its borrowers to take up income -earning activities that lead to a series of improvements in their economic situation. In addition to the improved income-earning ability, cooperative has been increasingly promoted for its positive impact on empowerment, especially for women borrowers. Women empowerment is the process of generating and building capabilities of women to exercise control over one’s own life. It is generating understood to mean the ability of women to make choices to improve their well being and that of their families & community. The general objective of the study is to analyze the Impact of cooperative on Women’s Empowerment However the specific objectives are as follows; To examine the role of Hatemalo cooperative to uplift the socio-economic status of women.To examine the pre and post status of those women with the lunch of different programs. The study has been carried out both on the basis of exploratory and descriptive research design. In the field survey out of 504 (total) members, 50 women respondents were interviewed. The Hatemalo Saving & Credit Co-operative model was found effective in providing financial and social services for their members. Hatemalo Saving & Credit Co-operative financial services helped member (through direct and spill-over effects) in increasing their incomes, which thereby contributed to reducing their poverty. There could be many aspects to explain the empowerment of women in addition to other issues which this study has not addressed. This research could not look into all aspects of decision making. The research could not address the decision making capacity of women at societal level. Moreover, the research could not deal with factors like education, age, marital status of respondent women, which may greatly influence their decision making capacity.