Mobiles support rural microfinance in southern India

http://southasia.oneworld.net/ictsfordevelopment/mobiles-support-rural-microfinance-in-southern-india

Ekgaon Technologies' innovative online application system enables members of rural SHGs in Tamil Nadu to access their financial information through mobiles. Maintaining accounts is now easier and transparent, and entails quicker access to loans from banks.

Dindigul, Tamil Nadu: Information and Communication Technology is meeting the needs of thousands of rural women in the villages of Dindigul District and bridging the digital divide.

Through the technical support of Ekgaon Technologies some 350 Self Help Groups facilitated by World Vision India’s Palani Area Development Programme now have their accounts online through SHG MIS (Self Help Group Management and Information System).

Mobile enabled SHG MIS is an innovative application for collection of rural SHGs financial information and portrays them on online server to enable anytime and anywhere access

“Earlier we used to maintain 11 record books for one Self Help Group, which consumed a lot of time. Now it is just one receipt book,” says SHG Coordinator Suajata narrating the advantages of SHG MIS.

Finding that main problem in rural financial services is the non-availability of accurate, information that SHG members could use to show their strength, Ekgaon provided a solution in the form of SHG MIS.

“Earlier I used to spend hours together maintaining account books. I didn’t even have time to spend with my children and the community. Now it is not so. All I have to do is enter the details in the mobile phone and send it to the server through SMS,” says Sujata, one of the eight SHG volunteers managing the accounts.