Bokeo Intergraded Rural Development Programme - Small Loans

The overall aim of the 'Bokeo Intergraded Rural Development Programme' (BIRD) is to sustainably improve the livelihoods of villagers through developing their capacity to address their needs. This will be done through an immediate objective of developing village forums, which are responsive to alleviating poverty, are effective and replicable.

The BIRD II programme is designed to build on the first phase ‘BIRD I’, in so far that has been assessing the activities carried out in this phase I and has been trying to enhance them with further capacity building and training. BIRD II, like BIRD I, is based in the Moksuk-Tafa region of Bokeo District. At the village level, BIRD II activities will be planned and implemented through groups of villagers and the programme will focus on increasingly strengthening a ‘local central village forum’, which will emerge from existing community groups. Seconded District Staff will act as main programme implementers with support, training, mentoring and supervision from senior Concern staff.

In the BIRD I programme Concern established a loan system to enable villagers to buy livestock. While those who took up the chance of taking the loan have done well, there is not enough uptake from the villagers who fear they might fail to pay back the loan in time. This is another issue BIRD II is trying to address at the moment. Here's an example of a very successful borrower.

Boun Cher is a 43-year-old widower who has four children. Two of his children are over twenty and married, the youngest two still live at home and go to school. Boun Cher has just become a grandfather for the first time. His daughter and son-in-law live in the same village Nam Tung and see their father every day. His daughter still helps her dad feeding the pigs. Boun Cher has four of them now, a result of Concern's animal revolving fund.

“When Concern first set up the fund there was 90,000 Kip [US$ 9.15] available. Three families took up the loan and bought piglets. They bred the pigs and sold some of the offspring, this enabled them to pay back to loan a year and a half later. They paid 10% interest. Of the second round of borrowers I was the only one who took up a loan. I borrowed 40,000 Kip and bought two piglets, a male and a female one. Once they matured the bred and the female gave birth to 9 piglets. I was so delighted; they were all good, healthy piglets. People in the village were keen to buy them and even as they were still with the mother pig, people came up and said this one is mine; I'll buy that one once it's big enough. I don't know why there was such a demand for my piglets, maybe they thought there were lucky pigs because there were so many of them and the pigs were from a Concern loan.”

“Maybe it was because the people knew I would help the buyers to look after the piglets, that's why they were keen to buy them from me. That's what I've done anyway; I have helped a lot of people with advice about the pigs. I tell them exactly how to look after them and how to recognize certain diseases. People here are afraid that pigs might die, that's why they are reluctant to take out these loans. They worry about what would happen if they can't pay them back.”

“I had no problem paying back my loan; I paid it within the agreed one-and-a-half year period and paid the 10% interest. The interest is kept as a sort of emergency fund, in case someone in the village needs money for a medical emergency but can't pay for it.”

“The loan has been very useful for my family. With the income I have received from the sales of the piglets I have managed to send my two youngest children to school. And I have four pigs of my own now, four pigs that will continue breeding so they've not just provided me with a one-off profit, they will be an income source for all of us in the future.”

Feedback

Print this page

Email to a friend