Microfinance, Education, and Women's Empowerment in Mali
Location
Room 210
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Preferred Time
Saturday morning
Abstract
This paper originates from a study conducted in both urban and rural settings in Mali, West Africa, with female participants in a microfinance program. Microfinance is an economic initiative that Dr. Mohammed Yunus pioneered in Bangladesh in the 1970’s with the aim to help people lift themselves out of poverty by engaging in sustainable income-generating activities. The primary focus of the participatory study was to explore topics related to microfinance and women’s empowerment using photovoice methodology. This paper captures some of the lasting economic and social changes that small-scale entrepreneurial activities may foster, including community building via avenues of informal and formal education. The presentation will showcase some of the participant-produced photographs along with their testimonial narratives to illustrate why investments in education are central to the sustainability of development initiatives.
Keywords
Microfinance, Empowerment, (In)formal Education
Recommended Citation
Sutton-Brown-Fox, Camille, "Microfinance, Education, and Women's Empowerment in Mali" (2015). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 29.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2015/2015/29
Microfinance, Education, and Women's Empowerment in Mali
Room 210
This paper originates from a study conducted in both urban and rural settings in Mali, West Africa, with female participants in a microfinance program. Microfinance is an economic initiative that Dr. Mohammed Yunus pioneered in Bangladesh in the 1970’s with the aim to help people lift themselves out of poverty by engaging in sustainable income-generating activities. The primary focus of the participatory study was to explore topics related to microfinance and women’s empowerment using photovoice methodology. This paper captures some of the lasting economic and social changes that small-scale entrepreneurial activities may foster, including community building via avenues of informal and formal education. The presentation will showcase some of the participant-produced photographs along with their testimonial narratives to illustrate why investments in education are central to the sustainability of development initiatives.
