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Microfinance and street children: is microfinance an appropriate tool to address the street children issue ?( Télécharger le fichier original )par Badreddine Serrokh Solvay Business School - Free University of Brussels - Management engineer degree 2006 |
4. DATA ANALYSISPreliminary note: the data below will be expressed in local currency: Exchange rate: 1 US $ = 68 US$ Purchase Power Parity Rate: 1 US $ = 13 TK 4.1. Entering their financial world: the first steps...40(*)4.1.1. Street Children's perception of Money: what does money mean to them? Our participatory sessions identified that the street children's perception of money was articulated around five aspects: 1. Problem 2. Future 3. Survival and a mean to meet emergencies 4. Purchase Power 5. The reward of our work What is money? A poem written by Mohidul Kooser Samim JibonMoney is the dust of hand (meaning: it's nothing) Money is problem Money is something which enables to have large things Money is a mean to fill wishes Money is future Money means good food Money means expensive dress Money means what mind wants Money means to live on earth Money is the root of business Money means the light of life PRA Session (translated by Nahar) - 27/12/2005 Dhaka § Money is problem «When we sleep at night, then the thief steals our money» A child during the PRA Session First, children usually depicted money as a problem, linking money with the sinister side of their street life experience. Indeed, many of them already experienced some troubles because of money. As they did not have a safe place where to deposit their earnings, many were keeping their money in their pockets, trying to hide it as best as they could, being therefore a source of problems as other children and adults knew this. Children mentioned the plethora of pickpockets that are there, especially in highly frequented places (as the vegetable market of Karawan Bazar in which children work during the night). § Money is future «Money means something which helps us to make sound live» A child during the PRA Session The children participating in our sessions made a strong link between money and future. Even if money was expressed as a «problem», it was perceived as being useful and having a lot of advantages, one being that it enabled them to build their future. Money was associated with «good job», i.e. the element which would enable them to have a pretty life. A good future was also linked with «education», as the «school» is still for some of them a mean to have a better future. As some girls summarized: «With money, we can start life in a good environment» § Money is survival and a mean to meet emergencies There was a particular emphasise on the link between money, emergencies and more generally survival. Many pointed out how money was needed for eating, treatment, shelter and for daily survival. A particular interesting point is the altruistic view of «survival» and «emergencies». Indeed, the majority of children was specifying how money was necessary for the survival of their families, and therefore was informing us on the significant role they are playing to contribute to the well-being of their families. Moreover, it gives an introduction to the difficult living environment surrounding them and their responsibility in meeting their families' basic needs. § Money is «purchase power» «Money is something which enables us to have many things, to buy nice food and expensive dress» A child during the PRA Session Children highlighted how money was necessary to buy assets: dress, tea, machinery tools, etc. The assets were not only for consumption, but also inputs for their businesses. Indeed, many mentioned how money helps them to buy tea, vegetables, «chutneys» (i.e. indian sauce), in other words products that were necessary to run their businesses. Here too, we can see how their world is structured around the work. § Money is the reward of our work As highlighted in our first chapter, the majority of street children are working. It is therefore logical to find expressed the link between money and work. Money is not something they received from their parents, but the result of their work. It may seem very anodyne to raise this point, but it is extremely important to consider it, as this is impacting our view on the street children, which need to be seen as «economic agents». 4.1.2. Street Children's perception of money management strategies This section aspires to draw the perceptions of street children on the conventional money management strategies, in other words to analyse what does savings and credit mean to them. § What is Savings? Many different definitions of savings arose. It was very interesting to see how street children, often very young, were able to define precisely this notion41(*). The following box gives a sample of some definitions: § Savings is daily income from which we take a part and we put in a safe place § Savings is income less expenditure. § Savings means to put money in a safe place § Savings means to keep money in a bank or cooperative Many street children perceived savings as a mean «to save their life» and to enable them a better future. Some did point out the relationship between savings and business, as saving money was a mean to start their own businesses...»we sell chips with our savings»
Street children made a strong relationship between credit and investment. It was perceived as a mean to start or reinforce their business. Moreover, children perceived credit as an opportunity to get education and to meet emergencies. Here is a sample of the definitions that arose during the PRA sessions and FGD:
* 40 The idea of starting our exploration in Dhaka city by participatory sessions around street children perception of money and money management strategies was initiated thanks to Iglebaeck and Hassan contributions, to whom we are thankful. * 41 Many street children who took part of the PRA sessions had followed previously awareness sessions given by Padakhep staff, where they learned the importance of savings and credit. |
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