Village Banking
Women in Business
Village Bank
Operations Manual
Table of Contents
Page
I. What Is a Village Bank? ..................................................................... 1
How is a village bank different from a regular savings and credit group? ...... 1
Who can join?......................................................................................................... 2
Why does a village bank need to have 20 to 35 members?................................. 3
How are new members trained? ........................................................................... 3
What are solidarity groups? ................................................................................. 4
Why do village bank members have to learn to read and write? ...................... 4
Why should women contribute to the cost of the Women in Business manuals? ................................................................................................................. 5
Why are all the village bank members supposed to have a business? .............. 6
What about savings? .............................................................................................. 6
What about loans? ................................................................................................. 7
Why are loans given for only one to six months, and not for a whole year? .... 9
Why are village bank loans small at first?........................................................... 9
Why are village bank loans paid back in weekly installments? ...................... 10
What kinds of rules do village banks have? ...................................................... 10
What are the rules for safe money handling? ................................................... 11
What kinds of things can go wrong in a village bank? ..................................... 12
How do we know if a village bank is healthy? ................................................... 13
II. How Does a Village Bank Operate?
Village Bank
Operations Manual
Table of Contents
Page
I. What Is a Village Bank? ..................................................................... 1
How is a village bank different from a regular savings and credit group? ...... 1
Who can join?......................................................................................................... 2
Why does a village bank need to have 20 to 35 members?................................. 3
How are new members trained? ........................................................................... 3
What are solidarity groups? ................................................................................. 4
Why do village bank members have to learn to read and write? ...................... 4
Why should women contribute to the cost of the Women in Business manuals? ................................................................................................................. 5
Why are all the village bank members supposed to have a business? .............. 6
What about savings? .............................................................................................. 6
What about loans? ................................................................................................. 7
Why are loans given for only one to six months, and not for a whole year? .... 9
Why are village bank loans small at first?........................................................... 9
Why are village bank loans paid back in weekly installments? ...................... 10
What kinds of rules do village banks have? ...................................................... 10
What are the rules for safe money handling? ................................................... 11
What kinds of things can go wrong in a village bank? ..................................... 12
How do we know if a village bank is healthy? ................................................... 13
II. How Does a Village Bank Operate?