As organizações microfinanceiras: a experiência da Helvetas no distrito de Boane

Abstract

One of the essential functions of financial institutions is the granting of credit, which consists in making available to economic units and individuals the monetary funds they need to develop their businesses or to survive in times of financial difficulties. Such credits have a stimulating function of the economic activity, facilitating commercial transactions, accelerating investments, thus allowing the harmonious development of a given country. In our country, the dynamics introduced by the Economic Rehabilitation Program (PRE) and the consequent regulation of the financial market in 1989 gave rise to the emergence of some institutions that, not having banking activities as their specific object, exercise financial intermediation functions. At the same time, other private banks emerged, making the financial market more competitive. However, such institutions tend to have strict criteria and formalities in granting credit, thus limiting access to them by the majority of the country's population, whose subsistence base is small activities related to agriculture, commerce, small industry (crafts) , among others, which lack the financial resources to carry out such activities. At the same time, other types of microfinance institutions have emerged with a focus on small-scale credit, notably, the GAPI Society, GPE - Employment Promotion Office and CCADR - Agrarian Credit and Rural Development Fund, the recipients of which were micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, meaning that the aforementioned social strata were not also covered.