Calendar » BBL Participatory Rural Development and Microfinance - A Pakistani and South Asian Experience

BBL Participatory Rural Development and Microfinance - A Pakistani and South Asian Experience

Created by Soo Jung Yoo
February 3, 2016 | 12:30 PM | J9-044

Description: 

The session will focus on the approach the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) have taken towards participatory rural development in Pakistan. The RSP speakers will share their experiences on different aspects of rural development, including financial inclusion. The discussants will add a broader perspective within the South Asian context. Established in 1991, NRSP is the largest Rural Support Program in the country in terms of outreach, staff and development activities. It has a presence in 61 Districts in all the four Provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir. NRSP is currently working with more than 2.6 million poor households organized into a network of 175,052 Community Organizations.

Its main areas of operations is microfinance and enterprise development, social sector services and natural resource management. NRSP Microfinance Bank commenced operations in March 2011 as a national level microfinance bank. The Bank builds on the experience of its parent institution, the NRSP, to alleviate poverty and promote financial inclusion in the country. The Bank's shareholders include the International Finance Corporation, Acumen, KFW and the National Rural Support Program. Through a network of 67 branches across 25 districts, NRSP bank offers a range of financial services including Deposits, Micro-Credit and Micro-Insurance to the financially excluded individuals living in both urban and rural areas of Pakistan. With sustained incremental growth, NRSP and its affiliates are regarded as effective engines for poverty reduction and rural development.

 

Chair:

Momina Aijazuddin, Principal Investment Officer, CFGMF, International Financial Corporation

 

Speakers:

Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Honorary Chairman, Board of Directors of the Rural Support Programmes Network, Pakistan

As one of the pioneers of rural development in Pakistan, Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan worked with the Government of Pakistan for 25 years, later on he served Geneva-based Aga Khan Foundation for 12 years and other UNICEF and UNDP for 14 years. In recent years, he has been involved with the Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) of Pakistan full-time, on voluntary basis. He has received multiple awards including the UNEP Global 500 Awards in 1989, WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Award in 1994, "Man of the Year" Rotary International (Pakistan) Gold Medal in 2005, Sitara-e-Eisaar and Hilal-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2007. In 2009 he was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for "Unleashing the power and potential of the poor".

 

Mr. Rashid Bajwa, CEO, National Rural Support Programme and Chairman, National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Microfinance Bank Limited, Pakistan

Dr. Rashid Bajwa is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), in Pakistan. His other areas of specialization include project management, fund management and development of implementation strategies and teams. He holds various honorary positions such as Chairman Pakistan Microfinance Network, Member State Bank of Pakistan's committee of Rural Finance, Member of the General Body of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, and Sindh Rural Support Program.

 

Discussant:

Sean Bradley, Lead Social Development Specialist, GSURR, World Bank

 

Parmesh Shah, Global Lead for Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Jobs, GFADR, World Bank

 

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