THE staff of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Micro-finance attended the Visayas-Mindanao Orientation Seminar on the Micro-finance Program for Water Supply and Sanitation in Unserved Communities last May 26-27 at Cebu Parklane International Hotel.
Represented by Hary Cyrus Jorolan, RAFI Micro-finance Camotes and Leyte area manager, RAFI learned that one of the approaches in improving the access of poor households to water supply and sanitation is through micro-finance. This is one of the tools to alleviate poverty by providing economic opportunities and addressing health and social needs of the poor.
According to Jorolan, RAFI Micro-finance engages in product development this year and will study how it can include a product that will increase the access of poor families to safe water.
“This would be a great avenue to address one of the important issues in the communities we serve, apart from continuously providing them financial opportunities for a stable and rewarding livelihood,” he said.
The Philippine Water Revolving Fund Support Program (PWRF-SP) collaborated with the Microfinance Council of the Philippines (MCPI) in conducting this program as one of their advocacy activities and in integrating the program in its regular capacity building offering for partner microfinance institutions.
RAFI Micro-finance, a partner of MCPI, has been a recipient of capacity building programs and network-sharing opportunities organized by the MCPI.
During the orientation seminar, PWRF-SP reported that only about 80 percent of the Philippine population has access to safe water supply, leaving the other 20 percent fending for themselves with unreliable sources of water, such as standpipes, open-water sources or vended water.
MCPI cited that water service providers are reluctant to serve poor households due to the perception on these households’ ability to pay, lack of clear tenure and right of way problems as well as high transaction costs involved in billing and other transactions.
For more information about RAFI Micro-finance, contact 418-7234 loc. 706 and look for Donna Libron.