MICROCREDITO

Hoy he presenciado por primera vez la entrega de prestamos dentro del programa del microcredito. Ha sido realmente impresionante. Ha sido en el pueblo de Khyam.
Las mujeres, todas arrugadas y curtidas por el sol, cubrian todo su cuerpo con unos mantos negros y pesados, desde la cabeza (igualmente cubierta por otro panuelo), bajando hasta los pies, y recogido delante habilmente con las manos. Todas ellas dejaban entrever por debajo ropas antiguas, como sacadas de otro siglo, o tipo pijamas kitsch de estar por casa, pero todas viejas por igual. Dejaban adivinar igualmente, tanto su habituacion a aquel manto, como la incomodidad de manejarlo al intentar hacer otras actividades como firmar unos papeles o contar dinero. Muchas de ellas no podian escribir, por lo que la huella dactilar, acompanada de un pequeno sello de metal con su nombre gravado que todas guardaban cautelosamete, hacia el hecho.

Chiara en su report sobre microcredito cuenta sobre este proyecto:
"The Italian Program of Community Development supports CDAs to develop sustainable community structures and to deliver services to vulnerable groups, in particular children and women, combining the provision of economic support with services such as gender awareness. The program engages in a whole range of welfare activities and consciousness-raising programs and targets mainly women head of households, widows, divorced and abandoned women. The women are given advice regarding gender awareness, such as family planning, first aid, personal and community hygiene and so on. It also offers a microcredit scheme with the main objective of avoiding a minimalist approach because, from the NGO perspective, it is limited to credit provision, inhibiting in this way the opportunity to reach an effective social empowerment. While when working at both levels, financial and social, women have the chance to take part in a wider world where economic, personal and social empowerment can take place.

The microcredit project carried out by MAIS in Sohag, started in March 2004 in two CDAs and after six months it has been expanded to a total of six CDAs: Es-Sawama’a, Bani Zaar, Siflaq, El-Khiyyam, Sohag and Hawawish.
It is a component of a broader project which is mainly concentrated on women empowerment, children care and awareness campaigns in the rural areas surrounding Sohag. This project was started by APS, an Italian NGO that due to administrative problems, stopped its activities and it was then carried out by MAIS".