Microfinance for better lives?: learning experiences of women beneficiaries of the Inhlanyelo Fund in Manzini Region, Eswatini.

Doctoral Degrees. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Empowering women is a critical issue in developing countries such as Eswatini. Women's poverty is exacerbated by discrimination in the economic, social, and political spheres (Salia, Hussain, Tingbani, & Kolade, 2018), thus limiting their inner potential. Poverty in emerging economies is a major impediment for meeting the countries’ Sustainable Development Goals. There is evidence that interventions, such as microfinance schemes, can improve the lives of women, particularly rural women (Banerjee, 2017; Mayoux, 2002). Women's participation in informal sectors in developing countries could lead to economic growth and well-being. As key players in household welfare, microfinance supports self-employment, and alleviates poverty. Understanding women's microfinance experiences could improve microfinance interventions. The study explores how women beneficiaries of Eswatini’s Inhlanyelo Fund bettered their lives and gained learning experiences. There is limited information available on this topic. This investigation analyses what kind of microfinance intervention is most suitable for improving the lives of women and their families. The study is positioned within the interpretive paradigm, and adopts a qualitative design. The investigation was conducted with ten women in the Manzini regions of Eswatini. Data collection methods include semi-structured interviews, which make use of life histories and photovoice. The data were transcribed and analysed manually using pattern coding where themes emerged. The findings reveal that loan income from the Inhlanyelo Fund was used primarily for consumables, with little remaining for investment in the business. Using the theoretical lenses of Jarvis’ model of experiential learning and the African perspective of ubuntu, this study examines how the women’s learning evolved through access to the fund and led to their empowerment and “buen vivir”. The findings reveal that women learned in social networks through interaction with others, and this helped to transform their behaviour and changed their lives. The study concludes that the ubuntu theme of humanness and participation in the collective were contributory factors in the learning processes of the beneficiaries of Eswatini’s Inhlanyelo Fund. The study recommends that future training should take account of the importance of experiential learning and social networking in empowering women through microfinance schemes