SHELTER NOW INTERNATIONAL

Shelter Now International implements its activity in the Republic of Tajikistan since 1994 and is registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is a private voluntary organization created in 1979 having its Headquarters in USA. SNI is specializing on providing help for refugees, internally displaced people, victims of war and natural disasters, poor layers of population. Shelter Now International works in such countries as Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Macedonia and Honduras. SNI’s main experience is providing aid in the field of house building, reconstruction of buildings. Providing urgent help and training small enterprise are the other fields of activity, in which organization has certain experience. The below is the examples of this type of activity:

House construction for needy doctors and teachers in Khujand city, Northern Tajikistan.

Micro-Credit Project for poor families to develop small enterprise; Khatlon region, Southern Tajikistan.

Community Development Program in Soghd region; Northern Tajikistan;

Micro-Credit Project for poor families to develop small enterprise; Soghd region; Northern Tajikistan;

 

DEVELOPMENT FUND

Public noncommercial fund. It takes an active part in reforming socio-economic sphere with the purpose of sustainable human development and creation of civil society. Its activity is based on support of farmers, entrepreneurs and vulnerable layers of the population. Development Fund activity covers areas of Northern Tajikistan and Fergana valley.

Development Fund has legal right to carry out the following activities:

Protect social-economic, civil rights and interests of target groups, render different kind of help for vulnerable layers of population;

Conduct information-consulting and training activity in the field of Micro-finance, investment, innovation, leasing and agribusiness;
Implement development, examination and realization of legal, Micro-Finance, charity projects and programs;

Participate in projects directed on social unity and creation of civil society, development and interaction of non-government and non-profit (non-commercial) organizations.

 

PROGRAM MISSION

Program mission is to assist to increase the social-economic situation of poor families in rural communities using Micro-Finance Programs. The following issues can be resolved in this case:
Support Development Fund to make it sustainable provider of loans in Tajikistan;

Organization of stable legal step-by-step Micro-Finance System of farmers and entrepreneurs involved in agriculture, by giving priority to women in rural areas;

Implement Micro-Finance Programs through Solidarity Groups, which must become the main link to a step-by-step increase of the loan amount.

To create the core grouping active community members around itself who stimulate changes in communities.

 

CLIENTS

The majority of population in rural communities of Soghd region are poor families, who do not have sufficient resources to develop small enterprise and farming.

350 poor families from Soghd region are clients of our Micro-Finance Program, who are involved in different types of entrepreneurship and farming: cattle breeding, poultry farming, vegetable growing and plant cultivation.

Their businesses usually require support to become more productive and sustainable to combat poverty levels. Economic problems are aggravated by social problems; together they do not provide a basis for building elements of civil society in these communities. At the same time, the proportion of women in our Program seeking to advance their role both in family and community, exceeds 70%.

 

METHODOLOGY

Development Fund methodology is based on "Solidarity Groups " (Group Guarantee Loans), which was successfully conducted by different organizations in many countries. The basic principle of this methodology is as follows: 

Solidarity Groups: (Loan amount is $45 up to $130, loan interest is 2% a month). Clients should organize groups of 5-10 people. These groups are formed independently and should consist of people, who know and trust one another, live or work close by. Possibility of self-selection (independent selection) is very important, because group members have collective unit responsibility. Solidarity Groups will guarantee repayment of each members' loans. This process is legally registered by a Guarantee Agreement signed by all group members. Solidarity Group members can not receive a second loan if even one of group members has debts. The incentives of successful group micro-financing are internal group activity, self-control and removal of anyone infringing program conditions.

Clients have 40 hours training seminars on the:

- basis of micro-financing;

- creation and activity of Solidarity Groups;

- drawing up a business-plan and cash-flow;

- legal base on Micro-Finance and appropriate documentation;

- basis of agribusiness;

- order of loan re-payment.

Solidarity Group and its members receive loan after training and approval of that loan application by Loan Committee.

Terms: Loan terms are established individually for each client depending on analysis of his business-plan and cash flow. Each solidarity group member is issued an equal loan amount for the first stage, which increases at the beginning of subsequent loan cycles. Repayments of the original loan amount and loan interest are made twice monthly. Our practical experience shows that clients working in the field of agriculture (borrower) need relief from repayment of original loan amount during the first half of the loan term.

 

PROGRAM IMPACT ANALYSIS

Client monitoring has shown they are developing skills to run efficient businesses, making a profit and subsequently improving their well-being. In addition, we preliminarily conclude that micro-finance programs accompanied by training seminars and consulting services combined with programs directed at training the leaders, development of advocacy and social partnership allow creation of civil society elements in communities. It shows that during Micro-finance programs Solidarity Groups may create a core of community active members directed towards independent solution of its problems and community problems.

 

PERSPECTIVES

During implementation of Micro-finance Pilot Project in Gafurov region it has become clear there is a high demand for loans to develop economic activity, which has potential of sustainable improvement of community members' living conditions. However, there is a big shortage of resources to develop Micro-Finance Programs for farmers, micro-enterprise, family and community business requiring large amounts. Therefore, expansion of the joint project between Shelter Now International and Development Fund is anticipated with prospective involvement of other International NGOs.

Once practical experience is obtained, it allows Development Fund to conduct training seminars for other experts in the field of Micro-Finance Programs and TOT's (training of trainers) for rural area.

 

 

 

CONTACT INFORMATION
Khujand, Tajikistan,
Lenin St. 3, # 7
tel. (10-992-3422) 6-19-08, 6-67-49
fax (10-992-3422) 6-06-94, 6-06-30,
6-16-63
E-mail: mf_devfd@mail.ru
www.devfund.cjb.net

Shelter Now International
Khujand, Tajikistan,
Nekrasov St. 15
Tel. (10-992-3422) 2-74-33, 5-68-21
E-mail ubaidulloev@yahoo.com