Credit-based Participatory Poverty Alleviation Sstrategies in Sri Lanka: What Have We Learned?

The study focuses on some of the key credit-based participatory poverty alleviation strategies implemented by both the government and NGOs in Sri Lanka. Some important questions raised are the extent to which social mobilization efforts have succeeded in empowering the poor, and how successful credit programmes have been in reducing the vulnerability of poor households and in providing capital for micro-enterprise development. Project management issues such as the capacity to monitor, evaluate and assess programme impact, and the extent to which programmes are integrated and coordinated are also looked at. The study assesses the best practices that have the potential for replication; where results have fallen short of expectations, the study identifies the causes and suggests modifications to programme design that may help in achieving success in the future.