An Evaluation of Micro Finance Institutions on Women Empowerment

“Train a man and you train an individual, Train a woman and you build a nation”.

Mahatma Gandhi

Women are a vital part of every economy. All round improvement and harmonious growth of a state would be possible only when women are considered as equal partners in progress with men. Microfinance has proved its value to women as a weapon against poverty and hunger. Micro- finance is a strategic tool for improving the social standard of women and it promotes participative decision- making, savings, and diversified loan products for consumption, production and social security. Micro finance institutions create co-operation and trust that not only facilitates the microfinance activities, but also contributes benefits beyond the service provided, such as greater services of community, trust and reliance on the groups of times of crises. Micro finance institutions facilitate income generation activities for the poor women and act as powerful tool for provision of goods and services. It enables the women to make changes when they increase income and sense of dignity which enabling them to enhance self- empowerment as it is the process of accessing opportunities & resources in order to make personal choices. This research is focused on the impact of microfinance institutions on livelihood of women their satisfaction level and various difficulties faced by the beneficiaries.