Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development through Micro Credit under Post-war Development: A Special Reference to Jaffna

Abstract

The micro credit programmes serve as a vital role for women empowerment and entrepreneurship development in the developing countries as well as in Sri Lanka. As a result of 30 years of an internal armed conflict, women and children not only lost male relatives in struggle, but comprised of the displaced. Most of the households in Sri Lanka are now headed exclusively by women. This study focuses on women empowerment and entrepreneurship development through micro credit programme under post war development in Jaffna District selecting five rural areas which were Chankanai, Sandilipay, Vaddukoddai, Uduvil and Kondavil in Jaffna. The main objective of this study was to identify the linkage with micro credit and women empowerment and entrepreneurship development. Further it has an objective to identify the impact of micro credit on women empowerment and entrepreneurship development. The empowerment is explained through social, interpersonal and economic and the entrepreneurship development has been mentioned by the self employment opportunities for agriculture, small business, fishing and farming. The microcredit programme is illustrated by the factors such as amount of loan, interest rate, recovery of loan and flexibility. The information has been gathered by primary data which has been distributed through the close ended questionnaire to the rural women in the above selected areas and 66 responded out of 77 in which 15 numbers from each area. Relationship between the micro credit programmes and women empowerment and entrepreneurship development is examined using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). It is concluded that the empowerment regarding the social, interpersonal and economic and Entrepreneurship development has a significant relationship with the microcredit programme and its impact on women empowerment and entrepreneurship development is crucial. It is suggested that the microcredit facilities are essential in empowering women and develop the women entrepreneurs under post war development because most of the house heads are the women in rural areas and for keeping enhancement in an effective way it should be concentrated with providing other Micro Finance services such as education, health nutrition, training and skill development by using modern technology other than micro credit loan facilities.