Impact Evaluation of Kupfuma Ishungu

This paper explores the impact of the Kupfuma Ishungu (KI), a microfinance program in Zimbabwe.

The areas, whose impacts were studied, were as follows:

• Household: 
• • Stability of income and enterprises;
  • Improved ability of households to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS.
• Individuals: Levels of:
  • Self-esteem and social capital;
  • Control of resources by women;
  • Participation in social forums.
• Community:
  • Establishment of social networks;
  • Individual reciprocity;
  • Group efforts.

The evaluation of the program impact also looked at the effectiveness of:

• Services provided;
• Project information.

The paper lists the following findings of the study:

• Increase in the:
  • Household asset levels;
  • Number of children attending school;
  • Consumption of major food groups;
  • Number of income generating activities per household;
  • Cooperation between husband and wife at the family level;
  • Control over income by women.
• Improvement in:
  • Housing quality;
  • Access to health services;
  • The respondents' status in the community as a result of their association with KI.
• Reduction in formal sector and traditional savings instruments, in favor of KI group membership.

The study concludes with the recommendation that KI revamp its management information systems (MIS) to make it easier for field staff to use.