Institute of Development Studies

Baseline Social Performance Survey Afghanistan

'Commissioned project to develop several simple indicators for tracking and monitoring the socio-economic status of microfinance clients based on the Afghan context. '

The Microfinance Investment and Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) Board, and specifically the Minister of Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), has recently felt that MISFA should be promoting a double bottom line in microfinance. It has therefore asked the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) to assist MISFA in improving systems for tracking and monitoring the socio-economic status of microfinance clients so that Microfinance Institutions MFIs) complement their reporting on their financial health with a reporting on their social performance.

CGAP has contracted the Institute of Development Studies to develop several simple indicators based on the Afghan context, that will report on four key issues:

• to what degree MFIs serve poor people
• changes in economic conditions of clients
• school attendance of children of clients disaggregated by sex
• access to basic health care services.

IDS will also prepare a questionnaire and a sample design that a local survey firm will use to create a baseline database. IDS will conduct an analysis of this dataset so that this benchmark data can be used to determine progress over the years.

• IDS key contact: Martin Greeley
• Project dates: February 2007 - December 2007
• Project status: Closed
• Funder: Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA); Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

Researchers

• Martin Greeley
• Mohit Chaturvedi

Selected Outputs

• Greeley, M. and Chaturvedi, M. (2007) 'Microfinance in Afghanistan: A baseline and initial impact study for MISFA'